Ascent of the Blue Queen
by Vixen With A Vendetta
Summary: The portrait revealed a young confident, blonde woman adorned in an elegant ball gown of the most splendid sky blue. More importantly, she had a smile that never reached her eyes. - AlicexMH
1. Chapter 1

**Ascent of the Blue Queen**

_"The portrait revealed a young confident woman adorned in an elegant ball gown of the most splendid sky blue. Her golden curls fell past her shoulders in a glimmering cascade. More importantly, she had a smile that never reached her eyes."_

_Author's Note: Here's a story about a continuation of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. It'll explore what could happen if Alice returned a second time and what would happen between her and the Mad Hatter. More importantly, it'll explain the ascent of the Blue Queen._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Alice in Wonderland or any of it's contents, just the plot of this story._

* * *

The deck of the ship rocked gently in the early morning dawn. It was hard to guess a new day had come in the captain's quarters since all the binds were drawn and curtains at full. A lamp was perched with a flickering flame on the captain's writing desk. Hunched over the maps was the sturdy figure of Alice. Her blonde locks that normally spilled about her had been tamed into a tight French braid. Weariness remained on her face in the form of shadows beneath her eyes. The years had been kind to her beauty, instead aging her into a more confident soul with an edge that had never been there before.

At the moment, she was hunched over her latest sea maps, trying to track the progress of the ship. It was going to be another month before they would reach London. This was her second voyage and return to London since the company had setup a trading post in China. She hoped it would be the last one she would ever part take on and could leave most of the business proceedings to her husband. Honestly, the idea of sailing to China had been a wonderfully adventurous prospect a few years ago when she had returned from the rabbit hole a second time.

But even returning from the rabbit hole didn't seem as good as an idea anymore. She had returned to find her answers and that was what she did for the past few years. She had never thought it didn't mean she would like the answers that she would find. Alice found that it was possible to setup a solid trade connection with China and carry out her father's vision. Not only had she done that, but they secured the trade connection with numerous vessels, including the one she was captain of right now.

She had found the wonders of the world, the dull world that she lived in. They seemed to pale in comparison to the one she had left and longed to be part of some day. It was true, she still saw Wonderland in her dreams, the colorful giant mushrooms, the snide flowers that gossiped, the purring of the Cheshire Cat. Then there was the Dormouse, always ready to have a duel, and the fidgeting March Hare, whom was so easily distracted by spoons. Most importantly, there was a Hatter, who made the most wonderful hats and dresses with piercing green eyes.

However, as the years had passed, Alice was finding more of her answers and having fewer of dreams of the Wonderland. A lot of times she had to pinch herself to see if she was going to wake up, thinking she was dreaming up London and it was Wonderland where she would wake up. Alas, it was never of any use and before she could pinch herself, she would see the scars of the Bandersnatch and remember she had returned to the dreary world of London and seas.

Another answer she had found was her loveless marriage. Alice had given into the idea of marriage, not because of a match her mother had setup or because of a surprise engagement, but because there was no other option. Alice had always intended to find her answers and leave the London world one day, but marriage was one of the things she had to give into before leaving. It was quite the loveless marriage, a marriage that wasn't even consummated, even though she was quite sure her husband probably had several mistresses while she was at sea. Why did she choose to marry such a man? Because he had unparalleled business skills and Alice knew he shared the same vision as her father did. For when the day came, which she hoped would come one day, that she would happen to disappear, she would know that all these years of effort would not be for nothing.

Marriage had been the only thing her spirit bent on. Alice took pride in earning her muchness when she slain the Jabberwocky and it had shown over the years. The company at first wasn't able to handle such a strong willed woman, but eventually it gave away and became quite prosperous. However, while the company was able to handle this woman, this world was still unable to and often times it showed.

At the moment, she sat at her desk in the typical attire for a captain, whom is normally male. Instead of a fancy gown with a tight corset and itchy stockings, she wore dark blue sailors' pants with an ornate navy jacket with heavy gold trim. She still remembered the day she first wore the captain's uniform.

* * *

_Alice checked herself out in the mirror of her quarters. This was the moment where she would first emerge as captain of the Marvel vessel. She had to look her best; it was the closest she would ever come to looking proper. Her hair was pulled back in a tight French twist with not a single hair out of place. Bright blue eyes spoke with an air of authority unknown for the age. The jacket was crisp and the golden trim gleamed in the light of the cabin. Checking herself over carefully, she secured the decorative captain's sword at her belt in its sheath. Lastly, she put on her hat, which was black and lined with delicate white feathers. It was glorious, but she yearned for hats of a different maker._

_Taking a deep breath, she then stepped out of her cabin to look over the deck of the Marvel. She stood with her shoulders back and her chin up proudly. All about her, the crew hands slowly stopped their tasks and gazed with stupefied wonder at their captain. Somewhere, someone had let go one of the sail ropes and it started to flap wildly out of control in the wind._

_Silence fell upon the ship like it had never before. Alice raised an eyebrow and stared down all the jaw dropped faces peering back at her. "What? I am your captain!" She declared in a challenging voice._

_With that statement, she challenged any of them to say what was on their mind._

_But you're a woman!_

_No one dared challenge the headstrong captain of their ship. Alice gazed about them with a triumphant smirk._

_"Well? What are you looking at!" She called at them and started to march about the deck, "Get back to work! Hoist the sails!"_

* * *

She had always found her answer for family. It was easy for her to leave behind her mother and sister in London after all. At first she thought it would be hard, but it was actually better to not have her mother about fussing over her being proper and unmarried. When she had gotten married recently, her mother was overjoyed and it seemed as if most of her harsh thoughts in the past had evaporated at the ceremony.

Alice bit her tongue about her sister and decided it wasn't her business to reveal what a cheat her husband was after all.

Alas, now she was aboard this ship in the early morning hours with no family of her own and married to man she only saw for a few weeks out of the year anyway. She had found her answers in this world, but there was another world so far away which she didn't have answers for.

_Why was a raven like a writing desk?_

Alice was broken out of her thoughts by a fluttering in the corner of her eye. There was a coat rack hanging close to the ajar door of the cabin. It was hard to see with so little light, but she could have sworn she saw the coats rustling. Perhaps it was just her eyes playing tricks in the darkness.

_A raven was like a writing desk because they both –_

A blur of white and blue flashed before her eyes and Alice's head snapped up attentively. It dashed out towards the door and was gone in a moment.

"White Rabbit!" Alice exclaimed without a doubt. She rose quickly from her desk and ran around to follow after the old rabbit.

Alice squinted against the bright light of the morning as she came outside. Looking around frantically, she spotted the rabbit at the corner of the cabin, tapping his foot impatiently and pointing to his pocket watch. An odd sense of déjà vu passed over her, but she knew it was the moment she had been waiting for.

The White Rabbit disappeared around the corner, heading towards the bow of the ship. Alice followed after him and came to a skidding halt as he sat upon the railing of the ship, glancing around as if he was afraid he would be snatched away that moment. At first, Alice was afraid a wake would knock him straight off the boat.

"White Rabbit!" Alice called and for the first time in a while, she smiled.

The furry friend made eye contact with her for the first time. "Alice? Is that you?" He asked, staring at her as if it was the first time.

Alice furrowed her brows in confusion, "Of course it's me. What are you doing on my ship?"

"Alice? Alice! Oh goodness! We must go. We're going to be late, we're going to be late!" Just as it looked like the White Rabbit was about to bound off, Alice reached out and grabbed him by both ears.

"Whoa, now wait just a moment," She said, holding up the Rabbit to her eye level. He struggled a bit, feeling trying to reach his paws up to his ears before looking at her. "I'm not going anywhere without knowing where it is I'm going and why are we in such a rush?" She stated defiantly.

"Omfph! You're presence has been requested. It's a very important date, we're going to be late!" He exclaimed, still squirming a bit rather comically with his little feet dangling in the air.

"Who as requested me?" Alice questioned, for a moment hoping it was a man with fiery orange hair.

"The White Queen! Would you put me down already," The Rabbit grunted. Alice furrowed her brows and slowly put him back down on the railing. He let out an indignant huff and straightened out his waistcoat, patting his pocket to make sure his watch was still there.

"And just how are we supposed to get to Wonderland? I don't know if you noticed, but we're on a ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean," Alice scrutinized.

White Rabbit cocked his head and answered as if it was the most obvious choice in the world, "We jump, of course!"

Alice's eyes widened and she chanced a look over the railing of the ship. The waves were breaking harshly against the haul of the ship. Surely, jumping from here, if the fall didn't kill someone, it would be having the ship crash into them a moment later.

"Oh, but you must drink this first," The White Rabbit ordered, producing a small vial from his pocket, containing a foreign green liquid. Alice took it delicately in her fingers and popped off the cap. She cringed at a whiff of the potion, figuring she could trust the White Queen with whatever it was.

She gave one last glance around the ship. There was enough deckhands notice if she went overboard. She wondered if they were able to see the white rabbit in the waistcoat or if she was truly mad, talking to herself.

This was it. She had been waiting for this. "Cheers," She muttered before knocking back the vial. Letting it drop from her fingers, she gasped in surprise as the White Rabbit jumped off the railing of the ship. She rushed to the side and leaned over to watch him go, but he was already completely gone from sight. He didn't even make a splash in the water! All of the sudden, she felt a disorienting rush in her head which caused her to sway a bit.

_Jump!_ A voice echoed in her mind, and that was exactly what Alice did.

* * *

_Author's Note: What do you guys think? Please leave a review and let me know if it's worth continuing..._


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Wow, thanks for the great support with my first chapter! Feeling inspired by the reviews I got, I decided to post up another chapter. It's a bit of fluff, but I hope it'll give you a good feel of the story. The Mad Hatter isn't there yet, but I promise you it'll be worth it when you do see him!_

* * *

Alice plunged over the side of the boat. The wind sheered against her face and she felt the throbbing cold stab of the Pacific winds. Head first she fell and for a moment she doubted her actions. She watched as the wood of the haul raced by her and she thought for sure, she had just jumped to her own death. Above her, there were panicked calls of a 'Man overboard!' Several men rushed to the side of the ship to catch the last glimpse of their captain they would ever see.

Taking a deep breath, Alice splashed heavily into the water. She slammed her eyes shut and braced herself for what she thought would be the inevitable impact against the ship. The sounds of the ship groaning against the waves faded as soon as she hit the water. Alice kept falling, as if the water in the entire ocean was suddenly being pulled down by a giant drain at the bottom.

Her body was thrown about as it started to swirl around and around, further down in the abyss of the sea. Discovering she wasn't dead yet, she chance to open her eyes and expect to be showered in darkness. Instead, the water was getting brighter the further she went. It faded from the dark blue, to a greenish hue, and a crystal like sky blue.

Taking a chance, Alice opened her eyes and stared in wonder as her body was whirled about, her arms and legs flailing without control. By this point, she didn't feel the oxygen deprivation she should have been, but her mind told her better than to take a breath. Blurs of different colors started to whiz by her the further she fell. At first they were just a glimpse, but then she made out red and purple figures. They swam by her quickly and she even thought one of them had tendrils and legs!

Different shapes and sizes flew by her as she plunged further. One of them even bumped into her and she felt the unmistakable feeling of scales brush by her finger tips. Fish! Large fish of colors and stripes she had never seen before were swimming by her. Alice tried to look to see where she was heading and she saw the glimmer of a bright light, plunging closer to second by second.

It was then she realized that she wasn't falling into the bottom of the ocean at all, but she was being pulled to the surface! Alice broke through the top of the water with a gasp for air. Her arms grasped about her as her feet kicked, part of her mind trying to tell her to scream and the other figuring out what had just happened. Her soaking wet hair clung to her face in a haphazard mess. She flailed only a moment or two before her hands grasped onto a blubbery magenta object. It hesitated long enough for Alice to wrap her arms around it before taking off.

Shaking the water out of her eyes, Alice realized she was in fact clutching onto a magenta sea lion with contrasting bright white spots scattered all along it's back. Lifting her gaze further, she saw that they were racing for the shore of an apparent pond. Scattered all along the water banks were towering cattails, taller than any trees in the Upland, which bobbed and hummed to their own little dance in the breeze. The familiar appearance of the oversized mushrooms came back into vision, like a rainbow had scattered its graces all along the soil and up sprung these massive decorative fungi.

They reached the shore of the pond at a frightening pace and before Alice could do anything else, the sea lion gave a giant buck and tossed her towards the shore as if she was light as a dime. Alice landed on her bottom a few yards from the water edge with a grunt. "Ouch," She muttered and looked to her savior. She gasped at the sea lion, who gave her a big whiskered grin. Aside from the fact he was bright magenta, he was also very peculiar since the water creature wore a green bowler hat with several gems that gave the illusion of bubbles bopping about his head.

"Top of the evenin', miss!" The sea lion saluted Alice with a raise of his hat.

"Hello," Alice murmured uncertainly and she gave out a frustrated grumble as she looked at herself. She looked like a washed up rat with her hair dripping, clinging to her face. Her clothes were absolutely drenched and sagging over twice their normal weight against her frame. The water was already starting to pool about her and turns into mud.

"Allow me!" The sea lion called, seeing her predicament. He then took a deep breath and let out a deep bellow from his throat. Alice expected it to be a gnarly barking noise, like the sea lions native to her land, but instead what came out could only be compared to the jazzy tune that a trumpet would produce. Alice was hit by a wave of warm air, which passed through her quicker than a breeze and the baritone music faded with it.

Blinking in confusion, Alice felt the warm sensation linger a moment before realizing all her clothes were crisp and dry again. Her hair was even back into the tight French braid she had taken such care putting in earlier. "Thank you, sir," She said to him gratefully.

"It's my pleasure, dear. Welcome back, Alice!" He responded with the quiver of his whiskers as he spoke.

The sea lion started to turn to leave, but Alice raised a hand and stopped him. "Wait, can I ask you a question before you leave, sir?"

"Of course," He gave a nod of his head.

Alice bit her lip as she watched the lion, glimmering in the sunlight from the water dripping along his form. Her eyes shifted to his bowler hat. "Who made that hat for you?" She asked softly.

"Why, the Mad Hatter," The mysterious lion answered before doing a back flip and disappearing into the waves of the water.

It started with the twitch of the corners of her lips before Alice gave into a small smile as she gazed out upon the pond. Memories of passionate hat maker came flooding back to her mind and it hit her harder than any of the waves she just experienced. She gave a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

A throat cleared from behind her and Alice broke away from her thoughts. She scrambled to her feet gracefully and saw the White Rabbit waiting for her a few feet ahead on some sort of dirt path. The pocket watch was in his hand again, but least this time he was obnoxiously pointing it in her direction. Alice gave him an indignant look and huff as she put her hands on her hips, looking back at the pond.

"What? You didn't honestly believe the rabbit hole was the only way to Underland?" The White Rabbit questioned with a raised furry eyebrow.

"I guess not," Alice muttered to herself with a sheepish shrug. The Rabbit regarded her for an odd moment, as if he caught a whiff of something funny, before dashing off towards the path. Alice had to keep at a brisk pace to keep up with the little critter.

The time passed before them, but for all she knew, it may not have passed at all. Was it possible that Time had finally made up with Hatter? That was only one of the numerous questions she had for the Mad Hatter, when she would see him. Despite the fact it had been years since she took her first tumble down the rabbit hole, Alice still had curious questions on an endless list.

Eventually, Alice fell into a comfortable conversation with the White Rabbit. She was mostly asking how he had been and what had changed in Underland. The White Rabbit also told her that it had only been two years since she slain the Jabberwocky, even though it was almost twice that amount of time in Upland. The Twins were doing well along with most of the creatures in Underland. They had been part of a considerable effort to reclaim the Red Queen's castle. They worked hard on cleaning up the harsh and bitterness of the castle, removing all its eye burning red colors. Apparently the White Queen had sanctioned the castle to be a shelter open for any creature in Underland who was in a time of need.

It went by unspoken that they were heading for the White Castle. Alice was admittedly anxious to see the glorious home of the White Queen and her court. However, during all of these proceedings, Alice's face didn't show half the emotions fleeting across her face. There were no small smiles and a very few grins. Any emotion showed in the glimmer of her eyes and overall her expressions had an underlying somber attitude, which had been gathered from her tiresome traveling over the years.

Even though the White Rabbit had given the general feeling that Wonderland was prosperous in these times, Alice couldn't help but feel there was something off. As they walked, she a got a nervous vibe as if the anxiety was even radiating off the trees and snippy flowers themselves. Was something wrong?

"I'm surprised we haven't run into Chessur," Alice commented lightly as they walked in the winding direction of the White Castle.

Alice felt something tickle at the back of her neck, but she shrugged it off simply. Then an odd fog suddenly engulfed the wandering pair. A slight smirk twitched at Alice's lips as the fog formed into a more definite shape and suddenly there emerged the familiar furry head shape of the Cheshire Cat.

"You can't run into a cat that evaporates," The eerie cat smiled broadly, leaning into Alice and causing her to stop so he wouldn't invade her personal space. The rest of the cat's body materialized before her with his paws tucked over each other.

"Hello, Chessur," Alice greeted him with a small grin, glad to see even the odd feline.

His eyes widened when she said his name, as if in sudden recognition. "Alice? Oh, Alice! You've come back to Underland, again…"

Alice's face twisted slightly in confusion. "Of course, it's me. Who did you think I was? I'm still the same Alice and I know I haven't lost my muchness," She questioned accusingly. This was the second person that seemed to have trouble recognizing her.

"Oh yes, of course, you're Alice!" Chessur purred slowly, unaffected by Alice's tone of voice. "What brings you to Underland?"

"I'm not entirely sure yet, I was requested to be here," Alice answered.

The Chessur perched his head up on his paws with seeming great interest. "Really… By the Mad Hatter, maybe?"

Alice felt her stomach twist a bit uncomfortably at the question, but she didn't want to give into the glimmer of hope just yet. "No, by the White Queen," She corrected him, wondering why the Cheshire had immediately thought she would be looking for the Hatter.

"Oh, of course, the White Queen has been eagerly awaiting you…" Chessur purred the words as if they had been passed along several creatures and everyone knew in Underland that the White Queen was awaiting her arrival.

But Alice couldn't be deterred from her curiosity at the mention of the Hatter. "Chessur, how is Hatter?" She asked, her voice dropping to a softer tone.

For a moment, Alice Kingsley thought she actually saw the smile falter on the Cheshire Cat. However, it was for only a fleeting moment and she couldn't be sure if his next words were a lie or just part of his aloof personality. "Oh yes, he is well…" The cat trailed off and swished off behind Alice over her shoulder. She whipped her head around to keep up with the floating feline. "But he has been away for quite some time," He then quickly added.

"He's been away? Will he be coming back soon?" Alice questioned with surprise. She had never known that the Mad Hatter ever really left his home and tea parties. It was hard to imagine the wind mill home and the tables set for the guests that would never come. She couldn't picture the March Hare sitting by himself, sipping on cold tea and throwing scones at a person that wasn't there to through them back.

"Yes, he will be back soon," Chessur avoided her first question, floating above Alice's head.

"Well, where did he go?"

The Cheshire Cat had already faded into mist before Alice could finish her question. Disappointment and confusion lined her brow as she stood in the forest, in deep silence for a moment. A throat cleared and she was brought back to the present, looking at the White Rabbit, who was growing increasingly impatient with every distraction.

"Come, we're almost there, and quite so terribly late!" He called to her, before dashing off in direction of the White Castle. Alice could already see the vast terraces from the distance. They rose from the horizon, glimmering in the white splendor against the shimmering sun.

* * *

The short exchange with the Cheshire Cat had already set Alice rather on edge. It seemed so odd that all of the creatures in Underland had some sort of underline tension. She felt as if though she was the only person not in on the secret by the time they reached the White Castle. Alice wished she could say those thoughts were quickly dashed by the welcome recession in the courtyard, but they weren't.

Many of the White Queen's court was already there and a few of Alice's old friends as well, including Bayard, whom barked happily at her arrival. A shushed attention was brought upon Alice and the White Rabbit. For a brief awkward moment, they all stared in wonder at the arrival of their Champion, but then a respectful quiet applause started with a few clapping. By the time she reached the center of it, the applause had such a moving affect on Alice she had to blink back a few tears from the corners of her eyes. Instead, she offered the noble men and creatures a small smile that never reached her eyes.

Standing at the center was the White Queen, she stood patiently with her hands tucked in front of her, looking the same as Alice had left the Underland. Her hair was pulled back, a brilliant clean white with smooth curls. Her dark eyebrows and lips contrasted the ethereal look of the young woman.

"Alice! It is so good to see you back and arriving safely," the White Queen greeted with a warm smile.

"Thank you, your Majesty. It is wonderful to be back," Alice replied with a small bow of her head. In the back of her mind, she wanted to end that sentence with to be home.

It was then looking at the White Queen that she realized there was something greatly wrong with her. She wasn't the same queen she had left Underland with. There was no lighthearted air about her and she even noticed a worry crease in her forehead. The arms of the woman were calmly at her side and her focus had been entirely on Alice. She wasn't looking to the clouds with her chin in the air and caution to the wind.

"Your Majesty," Alice stammered, rather startled at the revelation. "There's something terribly wrong, isn't there?"

The White Queen answered with a grave nod.

* * *

_Author's Note: Well I hope you guys enjoy it! The more reviews I get, the faster I tend to update. So please let me know what you think and feel free to try to guess what happens next._


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: Thank you for the feedback so far guys! Enjoy this chapter! Please leave a review though! I have a few questions for you guys, that I would love if you answered. I know there's a bunch of you on the alert list, so don't be shy, speak up!_

_First my questions for you: How am I doing? Do you think I'm sticking to the characters fairly accurately? What do you think is going to happen next?_

_Now to answer some of yours, puppygurl.98, I'm not sure Hatter's age since I never read the books or anything, but if I had to guess his mid to late 30's. I could be wrong. KishigoandDramioneRULE, the Red Queen may or may not be in the story. ;D You'll just have to find out._

_I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story and I look forward to hearing your feedback!_

_Also, yes, there's no Hatter in this chapter, but you'll find out more what happened to him and I PROMISE he'll be in the next chapter. And remember, more reviews, the sooner I update._

* * *

The White Queen had whisked Alice away from the curious crowd. They agreed it would be best to speak in private, whatever the urgent news was. Alice was vastly curious by the time they had ascended several of the castle's stairs and before she really was aware of it, they came out to a balcony. It was the same familiar balcony Alice had seen Absolem change his form. For a moment, her eyes wandered and tried to find what was left of his cocoon. However, there appeared to be no sign of it and instead, in the place where it should have been there were blooming blue roses.

_Peculiar_, Alice thought to herself. There was no such thing as blue roses in Upland, but they looked as if they could have belonged there. Meanwhile over the balcony, the numerous waterfalls were still visible through their mist and roared with life. Yet, only the sound of running water came faintly as the two women took a seat on the balcony bench. Alice couldn't help but feel a bit out of place around so much light and white in her contrasting blue uniform, which had taken on a brighter hue since she came to Underland.

The White Queen gave Alice a warm smile, but without her light spirit seemed to be a ghost of a former person. "Tell me, how was Upland? Did you get your answers?" She asked kindly while taking one of Alice's hands with honest interest.

As much as Alice wanted to know what was wrong immediately, she couldn't ruin the genuine care of the White Queen and allowed her questions. "Well… I got to travel, I saw China and my father's vision came true. I was able to set up a trading route all the way to China," Alice answered with only a fleeting moment of excitement for her own accomplishments. They seemed to be further away now that she was finally back in Underland.

"Oh, how splendid! I trust you left the company in good order, too?" The White Queen gushed proudly of her champion.

Alice nodded, "Of course, the company will be looked after by my husband at this point." She failed to mention the part about her apparent death.

As soon as the word 'husband', the White Queen blanched, if that was at all possible for her fair skin to do. It looked as if she had swallowed a large ice cube before she was able to speak. "Husband! So you've married…" Alice furrowed her brow at the reaction, most people were congratulatory for such news. "Surely that means you have…" The White Queen held her hand flat horizontally, waving it up and down a bit, "children, too." Her voice was smaller when she finished.

A twisted cringe passed through Alice's face at the thought of having children. "Lord, no! I would not have children with that man," She gasped.

The White Queen cocked her head and brought her hand to her chin. "I'm… confused, dear champion."

Alice sighed gently, adverting her eyes from the White Queen and gazing about at the waterfalls. "One of the answers I found is that marriage in Upland is like a fairytale. They say it's about love and commitment to your spouse, but I learned it is fickle and more of a binding business transaction. There is no love in my marriage." It hurt to admit the words aloud, despite how true they were. Every time she said them, it was another remainder she had fallen into the same trap as the rest of the women of her age. She had tried so hard to avoid it as well.

"How tragic," the White Queen murmured softly with a frown on her dark lips. Alice didn't say anything; it was hard to admit her own marriage was a complete disaster. A thoughtful expression passed over the White Queen. "But I wonder, and if I may be so bold to ask, did you and your husband ever…" Her voice trailed off as she clasped her hands together, apparently trying to find a proper word for what she was describing.

Alice's eyes narrowed a bit, "If we ever…?" Then it hit her and she gasped a bit in surprise. "Oh, no! No, we never have…" Embarrassment flushed on her cheeks at the subject.

"Hmm…" The White Queen was lost in her thoughts again and Alice started to grow more curious as each moment passed without explanation.

"What is it?" She asked finally.

"Well, I'm trying to understand how marriages work in Upland," The White Queen spoke hesitantly. "It appears to me, at least in Underland that seems to be hardly a marriage at all… You don't share any apparent desire for that man, never mind consummated the marriage. You don't even wear a ring, which could mean either you're not proud of the marriage or you don't think of him at all, maybe even both."

To anyone else, such a statement would have been a slap across the face. They would have been insulted and forced to bite their tongue because it was the queen speaking to them. However, for Alice, as much as it disappointed her, she couldn't bring herself to be upset because when it came down to it, the White Queen was correct. The Truth rung loudly in Alice's ears.

_Marriage is just a business contract._

The silence lingered out on the balcony before Alice felt it was time for a much needed subject change. Also she was tired of waiting and wanted to know what seemed to have everyone so anxious.

"Please tell me what is terribly wrong," Alice requested softly, looking cautiously at the White Queen. Her spirit subdued a bit and the worry crease in her forehead became more pronounced. She set her hands gently in her lap and took a deep breath.

"I'm dying."

Stunned, Alice felt like the air had been sucked out of her lungs. "Why?"

"I've fallen very ill… I'll be passing away soon." The White Queen spoke calmly, apparently completely at ease with the idea of the death. It didn't seem as if she was as afraid as Alice thought someone would be. Alice's mind was racing around in circles with a flood of different thoughts. She had never thought creatures in Underland passed away unless they were killed. They never seemed to age and she assumed they didn't get sick either.

"Have you seen a doctor? Is there no cure?" Alice blurted out the questions quickly, not accepting the fact the White Queen was dying. She seemed too fair and pure of a person to be taken away. With each of her questions, the queen simply shook her head at them.

"What about Upland? I would be able to get you the best of doctors, surely there must be some sort of cure…" Alice started to ramble on, stretching for any solutions, but she was stopped by the White Queen placing a hand on her arm.

"No, my champion. This isn't just a disease of the body, but of the mind and soul as well," She explained quietly. "It happens to everyone at some point in Underland, some a lot sooner than others. I know I've done what I was meant to do in my life and it simply come down to… it's my time." She finished with the most content smile Alice had ever seen. It was then that she understood the queen truly believed her words and she wouldn't have it any other way. There was no point trying to talk her out of it or try to delay the inevitable.

"I understand," Alice murmured finally. "How much time do you have?"

"Well, Time has a funny way about him here, but there are a few things I must do before I go." Alice nodded her head absently while the queen spoke and gazed out at the waterfalls once more. "I must name a new queen and have her coronation. Also I'll be around in the beginning to help teach her the ways of ruling Underland."

A hand was placed against Alice's cheek, causing her to look at the White Queen.

"I would like you to be the new queen, Alice, Champion of Underland," She declared fondly.

"_What_?" Alice's British accent never sounded more foreign than in that moment. The White Queen simply nodded and showed she was being completely serious.

"_Me_? The Queen of Underland?" Alice gasped. "But how am I fit to be a queen? I've only been here a few times. I'm not even from Underland. I'm barely beginning to understand this marvelous world…"

"This is precisely why you would be the perfect queen for Underland!" The White Queen exclaimed and that explanation just left Alice more confused than she was before. "You are Alice, the Champion of Underland, after all! There are so many reasons you should be the queen, dear Alice, and perhaps one day you'll discover them all. Believe my words."

Alice was in stunned silence for a long moment. What reasons could she be possibly talking about? She wanted to ask what they were so badly, but something in the White Queen's face said that she wouldn't tell her now anyway. It was something she would have to discover on her own apparently. Alice had never come to Underland with the intentions of becoming royalty. She didn't want to gain power like that, for she had seen how it corrupted some of the best of people in Upland. If she was from Upland, who's to say such power wouldn't possibly corrupt her as well?

"I think I…" Alice struggled to form her thoughts into words, dropping her gaze.

"Need a moment?" The White Queen supplied with a knowing smile.

"Yes."

"Very well, think about it, Alice," She lifted Alice's chin with a finger to look her in the eye. "But I must say, you would make the most beautiful Blue Queen."

* * *

Alice had left the White Queen on the balcony and went for a walk to clear her thoughts. The conversation hung heavily in her mind and it was rather overwhelming to grasp the proposal that the queen had made to her. How could Alice possibly become the queen of Underland? The Blue Queen as she had named her. She had almost expected to return to a courtyard full of waiting noblemen and noble women, all expecting her answer in that moment. For a moment, it was like the ambush engagement party when Hamish had asked for her hand. However, this time there was no surprise and it didn't seem like anyone was expecting an immediate answer. She was grateful the White Queen was giving her time to think about it.

Her musing thoughts had brought her wandering about the gardens outside of the castle. The grounds were rather large and very easy to get lost in. Foreign bright plants of a nature she had never seen were everywhere in sight. Some of them were tall with petals that were longer than she was tall. They gave off exotic scents of such sweetness she couldn't describe properly. Some of them were as animated as any living creature. They would occasionally wave a petal in greet at Alice or she would hear a hush murmur of 'hello's.

She came around a bend in the gardens when she spotted a rather odd plant. It was incredibly furry and massive with black spots all across its surface. It moved up and down slowly. Alice then realized it was actually a sleeping creature and not a plant at all.

"Bandersnatch!" She exclaimed and the slumbering beast woke with a start. Its grizzly head shook a bit as it looked around for the source of the commotion. Bandersnatch got up on its four legs before squaring up in front of Alice and let out a bellowing growl.

Standing her ground, Alice placed her hands on her hips and refused to be intimidated by the grumpy creature. "You don't need to frighten everyone by growling at them," She scolded and waved a reprimanding finger at him.

Bandersnatch gave out a huff and pawed at the ground anxiously a moment. Then he bowed his head down and apparently relaxed. Alice took that was his form of an apology. She gave a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Looking at the Bandersnatch, that was when she realized she needed to get out of the castle. Alice needed to go to the person whom she needed now more than ever before. There was no more putting it off; she had to go this very moment.

Advancing to Bandersnatch, he stood by obediently as she grabbed onto his collar and hoisted herself up onto his back. "To the Mad Hatter!" Alice shouted excitedly and the beast gave a great push with his legs, taking off at an alarming speed.

* * *

The Bandersnatch ran at a speed Alice felt she hadn't experienced in many years. The wind whipped along her fact, throwing her braid about wildly behind her. She found herself clutching tightly on the collar of the Bandersnatch. A small smile that never reached her eyes stayed on her features most of the trip. It was much more exhilarating than riding some of the fastest ships on the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. It was the closest she felt to being alive with adrenaline in a long time.

A few times she had been worried they were going to crash, especially as they disappeared into the woods. The Bandersnatch would seem to be barreling head first into a row of trees before expertly dodging out of the way at the last moment. Time had been fickle once again, for it seemed to be an early morning when they had left the castle. However, as they traveled like a blur in the forest, it immediately became night time as soon as they left the castle grounds.

The moon was only light in the forest, along with several peculiar iridescent plants they passed on the way. She never got a good look to see what exactly they were. The tree branches hung low like gnarly hands, reaching and grasping, ready to snatch Alice away from the Bandersnatch at any moment. It wasn't long before they reached the familiar grounds of the Mad Hatter's home. She could faintly make out the dark silhouette of the crippled wind mill. A couple of its arms lay splintered and broken on the ground. The building itself resembled a hunched over old man, grasping for his cane.

Alice immediately knew something was off as the Bandersnatch slowed down and came into the clearing. First of all, there was absolutely no lights on in the home, the wind mill stood like an ominous dark figure. Furthermore, the tea party table was sitting in disarray that Alice had never seen before. Most of the chairs were knocked over and broken with no one in sight sitting in them. There were no dishes on the table; all the tea and scones were apparently absent.

Cautiously, Alice jumped down from the Bandersnatch and approached the tea party table slowly. Scattered all about the table and along the ground there were papers, some of them flickering and flying away in the breeze. Coming closer, Alice then discovered they were actually newspapers! She didn't know there were newspapers in Underland. Picking up one of the papers, Alice froze where she stood when she read the title and saw a familiar face staring back at her.

_The Illustrated London News_

**KINGSLEY CO. OWNER LOST AT SEA**

The entire front page was dedicated to an article about her disappearance. Staring back at Alice was a recent photograph of herself, shortly before she jumped the ship. It was a photo taken while she was in China and she had a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Alice felt her breathing grow shaky as she began to read the article. Numbly, her hand reached out for a chair to sit in and she collapsed into the head chair, where the Mad Hatter would normally sit. The article went on to talk about how she was seen falling over board. The crew of the ship was unable to retrieve her body after searching for several days. Then it went on extensively about her accomplishments in the recent years with the company. Several people were quoted in the article, business clients of the company mostly. They went on about how she would be sorely missed amongst the company and her legacy would be carried on with her husband.

Unable to finish reading the article, she tossed it roughly on the table, ruffling up several of the other newspapers. There must have been over a hundred of them scattered all over the place. It looked like someone had plundered a news stand. The thought that was screaming in her mind was, what were they doing here? How had all these newspapers gotten here? The only way they could have gotten here was if someone went to Upland themselves and bought them. Was it even possible for many creatures to travel from Underland to Upland? She had only known of two that could.

"Oh Hatter, what have you done?" She muttered in despair as she sat in his head seat. She wanted nothing more to see those familiar green eyes and the man of an eccentric personality she had grown to adore. "And where have you gone?"

Alice sat in the eerie silence as she contemplated where the Mad Hatter could be. Everything about her was still, except for the flutter of the newspapers and the impatient huff of the Bandersnatch. Alice looked to the sky, hoping the stars would have some sort of answer for her. However, she only saw the peculiar moon of Underland. It was in a narrow crescent, but not on the left or right like the moon of her world. It looked as if the moon bore a frown while gazing down at her.

She was then distracted by another flutter out of the corner of her eye. Hovering slowly towards Alice was an electric blue butterfly of proportions she had never seen before. The creature must have been larger than a dinner plate, but she recognized him to be the second creature she knew from Underland that could travel to Upland.

The familiar butterfly came to rest on the table, holding a pipe of… well she wasn't entirely sure. A cloudy fog seemed to trail in its path wherever it went. Alice had to swat some of the smoke out of her face. "You're a lot bigger than I last remember seeing you," Alice offered a grin.

The butterfly took a long puff from the pipe before regarding Alice with bored eyes and an expression of disinterest. If anything she could pick up from his vibe he was actually annoyed as well. "And just, who are you?" He drawled in a monotone voice.

Complete annoyance flared up in Alice as another Underland creature failed to recognize her. What was possibly going on? "What are you talking about, Absolem? I haven't lost my muchness and I'm still the same woman. Why doesn't anyone recognize me!" She said in an accusing tone before adding frustrated, "I'm still Alice!"

Absolem seemed unaffected from her harsh words and simply let out a deep sigh. "Not anymore you are," He said cryptically.

Alice furrowed her brows and blurted, "What are you saying? I'm becoming another person?"

"That is exactly what I'm saying. You're certainly as stupid as before, though," Absolem gave a lazy flicker of his wings, seeming to slowly become bored with the conversation already.

Alice bit her tongue a bit and thought for a moment. If she was really that different, so much that no one was able to recognize her, then how was she changing? Who was she changing into? An earlier conversation started to creep into the forefront of her mind and Alice was almost too nervous to speak her question. Part of her already knew the answer, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to hear it yet.

"Absolem…" She started slowly, staring at the butterfly in wonder. "Am I the Blue Queen?"

The butterfly fluttered his wings and started to hover away from the table, not before she heard a distant, "Not yet."


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: And the much awaited arrival of the Mad Hatter is in this chapter!_

_Unfortunately, it's also a rather sad chapter, but don't hate me too much! I promise the next chapter will be much more uplifting and you'll learn more about what happened to the Mad Hatter in Upland._

_Please leave me a** review**, telling me what you think and such!_

_To answer a question, GoddessAerith, I hadn't really thought of Hatter as the first person that went to Upland. I'm writing this story from a third-person view that's influenced by Alice's thoughts, so at the time the only people she knew who had been to Upland before were Absolem and the White Rabbit. _

_Thank you for the support guys! Please keep it up, it's what makes me update daily. :D_

* * *

Alice remained in the head seat at the tea party table for a long time after Absolem had already flown away. Honestly, she was starting to feel a little defeated at the moment. Jumping over the ship rail, this was not how she expected her return to go. Perhaps there would have been a problem with the Red Queen again and she would have to be the champion of Underland again. She would have been able to do that because she still had her muchness. However, she was not prepared for what had been thrown at her instead. Alice had never once considered the prospect of being royalty and the Blue Queen, no less! Yet, here she was being proposed such a position.

Worst of all, she never felt more alone than sitting at that empty tea table. Her only company was the Bandersnatch, whom had grown bored with the situation and she could hear his rumbling snores not too far away. There was no Dormouse to criticize her every action and trying to stick her with the tiny sword. At this point, she would have welcomed the random assault of teacups and scones from the March Hare. More importantly though, she had never missed the Mad Hatter more than this moment before. It felt as if someone had ripped something from her chest. That same someone may as well have rubbed salt into the wound as well now that she knew the Mad Hatter wasn't even in Underland at all!

_But what could she do?_

Her gut instinct had been to dash from that table and head towards the rabbit hole. Surely, that must have been the way he left Underland. However, before she could rashly put that plan into motion, her mind reeled her back for several reasons. Firstly, she had just learned earlier that the rabbit hole wasn't the only way to Underland. Apparently there were numerous ways and she had only begun to understand that. For all she knew, the Mad Hatter could have taken a route to London or China, two very opposite places. Perhaps even worse, the Mad Hatter could have unknowingly ended up on a completely different continent than she's ever been to.

Then there was the problem of Alice returning to Upland when she's thought to be dead. She took another look at the London newspaper and gasped in horror at the date of the print. It was marked two months after the day she jumped from the ship! Time was working on a completely different method down here. She had only been in Underland for a day, but it was already two months in Upland. Even if the Mad Hatter had returned to the Ascot manor or some other location in China, there was no way that he would still be there now.

Of course she couldn't forget the White Queen now. She had only just gotten back to Underland and the White Queen was dying. Alice wasn't sure how long she will still be around and the queen was awaiting an answer from her. She had to at least seriously consider becoming the Blue Queen, especially after the conversation with Absolem, so she couldn't stray too far from the White Castle.

With that thought heavy in her mind, Alice rose from seat and decided to retire to the castle for the evening. It was only the first day she got back and she had already taken off unannounced. She approached the Bandersnatch with a heavy heart. It woke with a grumbling huff and regarded Alice with sleepy eyes. It seemed to pick up on her intentions rather quickly though, she jumped upon the back of the great beast.

Without any growls this time, he took off in the direction of the White Castle.

Even though it was late into the evening when the castle came into view, it seemed as the whiteness was gleaming in the moon light. The Bandersnatch barreled on towards the front doors of the castle with its tail smacking against the ground with each stride. Several of the guards saw the pair coming towards the door and stepped aside after opening the great doors first. The Bandersnatch stopped just within the doors and allowed for Alice to climb off before she wandered into the throne room.

As she expected, the White Queen was there with several of her court. The armor of the Champion and the Vopal Sword glistened in the light next to the throne. The Queen had been placing back and forth, speaking in hush frantic tones with some of the court. Upon Alice's entrance, they all stopped and looked up to the newcomer. A look of overwhelming relief passed the White Queen's face before she approached Alice with a broad smile.

"Alice, our champion! We were worried when no one could find you," The White Queen gushed in an airily tone.

"I'm sorry, your Majesty, I left with the Bandersnatch to see the Mad Hatter," Alice said in an apologetic tone.

"Oh? Has our Hatter returned?" The Queen's interest picked up.

Alice shook her head, "I'm afraid not." For some reason, she didn't feel it was right to discuss what exactly she had found at the wind mill. Perhaps the White Queen already knew about it and that was the reason why she hadn't said anything earlier, either.

Disappointment passed the White Queen's face for a moment, "Shame… Well, surely you must be exhausted. I already have a room waiting for you."

"Thank you," Alice murmured, feeling the heavy weight of the emotional and physical exhaustion. She allowed herself to be led away by one of the castle maids towards her quarters. There were still so many unanswered questions, but she would be able to tackle them with a night's rest and a clear mind.

It didn't take long before she arrived in a room adorn with white, of course. The bedding and pillows had never seemed so attractive at that moment. However, Alice dismissed the maid to be alone with her thoughts and went about preparing a bath before she would retire to sleep. While she bathed, the day's events reflected in her mind. Waking up that morning, she had no idea she would end the day back in Underland in such unusual circumstances.

Her body felt physically tired from the plunge into the ocean and the journey to the White Castle. Her legs were also sore from riding upon the Bandersnatch, which was by far worse than any of the bumpy carriage rides she was used to. Her mind was more exhausted than her body though. The conversation with the White Queen was haunting her mind now. How could she possibly become the Blue Queen of Underland? There wasn't a drop of royal blood in her veins and she knew so little about Underland itself. Yet, something in her heart was stopping her from refusing the White Queen.

Some of it was because of the conversation with Absolem. Alice knew that people changed over time, but was this really the change was she making? Was she really becoming that different of a person? She knew she wasn't the same little girl that tumbled down the rabbit hole, but she didn't think she was so changed that she was nearly unrecognizable to Underland creatures.

Alice thought her mind would plague her for the rest of the night, but she found herself falling into a deep slumber almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

* * *

The next day hadn't been nearly as eventful as her first arrival. Alice found herself waking late into the day, apparently more tired than she had realized. She joined the Queen's court in the lunch time meal and ventured to try several foods she had never seen before. She felt a bit strange about it though, if all the plants and animals were able to talk, then where did they get the food from? She had to just push that thought out of her mind and eat anyway.

Later on she had spoken to the White Queen briefly about her concern with not knowing anything about Underland's history. The Queen had graciously led to her to the library of the castle and told her she was able to view any of the books as she placed. Alice thought it was a little peculiar that she said 'view' and not 'read'. The library in question could hardly be considered that. It really was just a room with one giant book shelf, only half full and had two double doors that led to a balcony.

When Alice had asked the Queen why there were so few books, she simply said that History was still writing them. Her statement left Alice wondering if History was as fickle as Time in Underland. Maybe they knew each other? She tried to picture History and Time sitting around the wind mill at tea time with the March Hare and the Mad Hatter.

The White Queen stood by Alice's side as she hesitantly picked a book at random. None of them had any titles or authors listed, so she just picked one that seemed to have an auburn leather-like material for a cover.

"Have you thought about our talk yesterday?" The White Queen asked gently, distracting Alice from the book in her hands and looking up at her uncertainly.

"I have," She said hesitantly. "I'm afraid I'm just not sure at this point. There are a few answers I must find first."

The White Queen gave an understanding nod and then said something that completely surprised Alice. "I understand, but do know the choice is entirely yours. There is no one expecting you to choose a certain path and not even my court knows I've offered my succession to you."

Alice's eyes widened in genuine surprise. This was nothing like the horrid engagement party or the embarrassing call for the Underland champion she had expected before. There wouldn't be a crowd of anxious people standing and waiting for an answer that she wasn't prepared to give. Alice would actually have a complete choice in her path.

That thought put her a little more at ease and feeling as if this situation wasn't completely out of control. It also put another thought into her mind that made everything suddenly make so much sense. "Wait…" She said uncertainly, speaking the thought as it formed in her mind. "That's why everyone is so anxious, isn't it? They don't know who the next queen is going to be?"

"That is precisely the reason," The White Queen confirmed her suspicions. Alice couldn't help but let out a small sigh. There was an immense amount of pressure for the new queen, but this meant wasn't directly upon her, at least.

"I wish I could give you an answer, but I need a few of them myself. I just wish there was a way of knowing when Hatter will return…" Alice spoke her concerns aloud and as she did, another idea began to formulate in her mind. A small smirk that didn't reach her eyes passed her features then.

"Wait, a moment! There is a way of knowing when he'll come back," Alice exclaimed, proud of herself for thinking of it. "The Oraculum! Do you still have it?"

"Of course!" The White Queen answered. Alice quickly put the book back on the shelf, the reason they came into the room long forgotten.

It was a short while later that the White Queen and Alice stood in the throne room once more. The Queen had retrieved the Oraculum and it offered it out to Alice with both hands. For a moment, Alice just stared at the Oraculum. Instinctively, she wanted to reach out and unroll the entire thing like the last time she visited Underland. She wanted to know what decision she was going to make, if she was going to be the Blue Queen, when the Hatter was coming back, and more importantly what would become of them.

However, there was something in the back of her mind telling her not to grab the scroll. There was something formidably dangerous about having such knowledge at her hands. In Upland, men would never be trusted with such knowledge for it would lead to absolute corruption. Alice was torn as she looked at the scroll, unable to decide whether or not to take it. She received a questioning gaze from the White Queen.

"Can you read it?" Alice requested softly, looking up at the queen. "It's a heavy burden to bear to know the future and I'm afraid if I see it now, it may influence my decision and it won't be my choice anymore. I just want to know when Hatter will return."

The White Queen smiled fondly at Alice. "Of course, dear champion," She began to unroll the scroll and look for the return of Hatter. Alice kept her eyes from wandering onto the parchment. "You've changed so much, Alice, since you've last been here. You're no longer the same little girl that tumbled down the rabbit hole. You're so much stronger, confident, and wiser now."

Alice gritted her teeth and had wished the Queen didn't say that, even though she knew that she meant well by it. "But I'm still Alice," She said quietly, "It's ironic I seem to have some sort of identity crisis every time I come to Underland."

Whether or not the White Queen heard her words, she wasn't sure since she appeared to be focusing intently on the Oraculum.

"Oh! Here we go, the Hatter is going to return tomorrow," The White Queen announced happily and Alice perked up quite a bit. However, then a perplexed expression passed over her face and Alice was immediately worried while she stared more intently at the parchment.

"What is it?" Alice asked wearily.

"How odd," The White Queen murmured, "You appear quite miserable here, though; I would think it would be a joyous reunion." She then offered the Oraculum for Alice to see, with only tomorrow being exposed. Curiosity got the better of Alice and she peered anxiously at the image. Sure enough, the depiction showed the wind mill and the tea party table. Seated at the table was the March Hare, pulling harshly on his own ears. Dormouse was also there as well, waving her sword about intently. The White Rabbit was on the ground, fidgeting nervously with his watch. What got her attention were the Mad Hatter and herself. The Mad Hatter appeared to be seated at his chair with the most miserable and melancholy expression she had ever seen. Alice, which she assumed was her since she couldn't see her face, was crouched on the ground by his chair with her arms crossed over the arm of Hatter's chair. Her curly locks completely covered up her face and Alice had never seen herself in such a defeated position.

"Am I _crying_?" Alice gasped. The White Queen nodded gravely, "It would appear so."

* * *

Despite the revelation yesterday, Alice found herself heading towards the Mad Hatter's home with the White Rabbit frantically leading the way. He was equally as excited and curious to see the return of the trio of Underland's favorite lunatics, so to speak. What Alice had discovered disturbed her greatly throughout the rest of the day. What would possibly happen that would cause her to cry? Wouldn't the Hatter be happy to see that Alice was alive after all? She found herself heading to the Hatter's home with nervous apprehension.

Alice's boots sloshed a bit in the mud as they moved. She had her captain's uniformed cleaned and pressed, feeling more at ease in it than one of the white gowns from the queen. She even still had the decorative captain's sword still at her side; it had somehow survived the passage to Underland. Though it wasn't like it would be very effective an actual sword fight though, but she felt a little more confident carrying it around.

It wasn't long before the sight of the wind mill came into sight. Alice took a deep breath and started to feel a bit better when she saw there were lights on within the home. An odd sense of déjà vu passed over Alice again as she began to approach the tea party table. It was very similar to the way she had tumbled down the rabbit hole those years ago. However, she was a much different woman this time around. Alice knew she had her muchness and what she was set out to do in Underland this time. She wasn't the timid shy girl, only standing two feet from shrinking potion, trying to hide from the Knave.

The inhabitants of the tea party were apparently mostly asleep. The Hatter was perched in his head seat with his hat tipped down, his arms crossed in front of him. Alice quickly figured out that he was asleep and didn't stir when she approached. The only one alert was the March Hare, who perked up immediately at her approach. He huffed and sputtered a few times, trying to say something, before he spazzed and picked up a tea cup. All the newspapers from yesterday were completely absent and it didn't appear as if the wind mill had ever been abandoned.

"You're late for tea!" He hurled the tea cup in Alice's direction and she ducked out of the way. She couldn't help but giggle a bit at his antics.

"Hello, March," Alice greeted him approaching his side of the table. He seemed to have been sipping from a broken tea cup and fiddling with a utensil she didn't recognize that Underland had.

"Alice? Alice!" He exclaimed, suddenly recognizing her. She suppressed a sigh; it was really getting tiresome that no one recognized her. He then started to fidget, looking from Alice to the Hatter, trying to get his attention. However, he quickly saw it was a lost cause since the Hatter was still asleep.

"Where did you get that?" Alice couldn't help but ask, looking at the utensil that the March Hare was holding.

"Upland!" The March Hare exclaimed, using it to take a sip of his tea. "It's a spoon. No!" He stabbed a scone with it, using it to hurl it at the White Rabbit. "No, it's a fork. Shiny little bugger, spoon, fork, what ye are'…" The March twitched crazily while squinting at his new treasure.

"Spork," Alice supplied the name without a thought to him. The March Hare froze in his spot and looked at the spork in a new light with big dopey eyes. "Spork…" He muttered slowly.

Alice moved away from the March Hare and towards the Mad Hatter. Each step felt like she was traveling a mile. She had missed him nearly every day for several years and now she was finally here again. She couldn't help but remain silent a moment, taking in the sight of his hunched over figure. The unruly orange hair still protruded out from under his hair. She could see he still wore the similar whimsical jacket from before. His hands were pale and faintly red, it appeared he had been working recently and was a bit careless.

"Hatter…" She called to him gently and he didn't stir. Alice then crouched down right next to his seat and placed a hand over his. "Hatter," She said louder. He stirred with a slight jerk and she pulled her hand away. The Mad Hatter lifted his head and she saw his peculiar green eyes dance about as awareness came to him.

"Alice?" He questioned sleepily. A small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes passed over Alice's features.

"I'm right here, Hatter," She murmured and then he finally looked at her. She expected he would be excited, happy to see her. Perhaps he would immediately offer her tea, as if no time had passed at all between them. She would have welcomed a hug or any sign of affection from the Hatter. However, she wasn't prepared for the reaction she got. The hint of excitement in his eyes died immediately as he recognized Alice and he sank back in his seat rather deflated.

"Oh, not Alice…" He announced disappointingly.

"What?" Alice's eyes narrowed.

"That is the right Alice!" The White Rabbit injected in equal surprise.

The Mad Hatter's attention then snapped to the White Rabbit and his expression grew grave. The color around the Hatter's eyes started to fade into a black hue. "McTwisp, you've brought the wrong Alice, you sniveling, snarkling, fruimous, frogious…" His eyes turned a burnt orange with the familiar rage creeping up.

"Hatter!" Alice exclaimed and his words cut short immediately. He swallowed as the green eyes came back and his face returned to normal. "I'm fine," He squeaked.

"How can I be the wrong Alice? I'm the same Alice as before, I haven't changed, Hatter. Do you not remember me?" Alice felt the toll of the emotional turmoil in the form of tears forming at the corner of her eyes. She spoke desperately while the Hatter gazed down at her, lacking the familiar affectionate look. After everything they had gone through the last time she here, how could he possibly think that she was the wrong Alice?

The Mad Hatter regarded the young woman before his eyes for a long moment. He thought over her words and the possibility that they may true. She was asking him if he had forgotten her, but how could he do such a ridiculous thing? He had only met one Alice before, so surely he would remember if he met a different Alice and the wrong Alice, at that!

"Well, you may be an Alice, but you're not _the_ Alice. You're… Not Alice!" The Mad Hatter proposed his logic and seemed rather proud of himself with the new name for Alice. While he spoke, he seemed apparently oblivious to the harm that he was causing the real Alice.

Alice now understood the Oraculum and the defeat it foreshadowed. It hit her like a brick force and she felt herself fall to her knees beside the Mad Hatter. He was supposed to be one the person that believed in her and now he didn't even realize she was right before him, pleading with her eyes for his help. "Why is it, Hatter…" She whispered in a choked voice. "When I came here, everyone said I changed, but they knew I was the right Alice… But you, the one person I need the most right now, think I am the wrong Alice…"

The cheery attitude of the Mad Hatter became greatly subdued as he seriously thought about his words or perhaps it was because he was taken aback by how distraught he made this young woman. Not even bothering to wipe away her tears, Alice felt the need to go on.

"What changed, Hatter? Last time I fell down the rabbit hole, you were the only one that believed I was the right Alice… No one thought it was me, but you! Now here I am and you don't see me. I know I'm the same Alice. I found my answers in Upland and I came back. I haven't lost my muchness, I know for sure," She pleaded with him, despite how contradicting that sounded in her given state.

The Mad Hatter regarded Alice for a long moment, seeming to try to focus his mind and not think about words starting with the letter 'M'. He was silent for a long moment before he offered his riddle, "You haven't lost your muchness. It's there, Not Alice, inside of you, but I think it's trapped by ice…"

Alice stared in wonder at the Hatter when he spoke. Maybe to other people, he did sound half mad, completely bonkers, around the bend, and off his rocker. To Alice, though, the Mad Hatter never seemed wiser. One of the answers she found in Upland was that they have muchness there as well, but they call it by a different name.

"Are you saying I have a heart made of ice?" Alice asked timidly, afraid that was the truth behind it all. Was she really that cold inside? Part of her mind screamed yes in answer. She had become a ruthless business woman to expand her trade. She was strong enough to be the only woman aboard a ship for months at a time. She had strength to deal with a loveless marriage. Was that strength actually a cold heart?

"No," Hatter replied reassuringly, but not entirely hopeful either. "Your muchness is surrounded by ice. You keep your heart very guarded… Can anyone get through to it?"

It felt like her being had been drenched in icy water as she stared into those eccentric green eyes. For a man who was considered half mad, he had completely figured her out in the matter of moments. Maybe Alice had kept her heart incredibly guarded, but what else was she supposed to do? Those who wore their heart on their sleeve usually found that arm cut off. Why subject herself to that harm?

But, by keeping her heart guarded, she had changed in those years and now she could see that. Alice was not _the_ Alice anymore. She wasn't sure what prompted her next question, but it was the only thing her mind felt was right for the moment.

"Hatter, the coronation of the Blue Queen will be soon, will you come?"


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: Wow! I never thought I would get such a reaction for my last chapter. ^^ You guys were so supportive and moved by my last chapter, I felt I couldn't leave you hanging for long. So now with this one, here you'll either truly love or hate the Mad Hatter now. xD;_

_Please tell me what you think of the Hatter and his intentions/actions?_

_Keep reviewing! It's what keeps me writing so quickly. :3 Love you guys._

* * *

The hope of having a joyous reunion with the Hatter had been dash the moment he gave Alice that unrecognizable blank stare. Now, she had been reduced to tears, kneeling before the head chair, just as the Oraculum had foretold. The worst part, no matter how much it had warned her, she wasn't prepared for the emotional turmoil that she felt now. There was only so many times someone could not recognize her and comment that she changed as a person before she would start to believe them. Alice thought if there was one person would believe in her and know it was her all along, it would be the Hatter. However, she never felt more detached than in that moment. It was like she was a ghost, pleading and begging everyone she saw to see her, but no one could.

The Hatter's words were still heavy on her mind. Was her heart really surrounded by ice? When was the last time she let anyone inside? She was struggling to recall any sort of situation in the recent years. It was never hard for her to leave her mother and sister behind when she went on voyages. They were the closest people to her in Upland. Even the day of her wedding, she couldn't recall opening up her heart to the man she married. She could recall walking down the aisle with a smile that never reached her eyes. The recent of the evening she had only given fleeting grins.

So now she knelt before Hatter, no longer the same Alice that had come to his tea party under the reign of the Red Queen. She knelt before him as the queen to be, since her mind told her if she couldn't hold onto who she was before, she might as well more forward. It was her logical mind speaking, not her heart.

At Alice's question, the spirit of the Mad Hatter perked up quite a bit. He flashed Alice a broad smile with his gap never more evident than before. Alice knew better though, that smile wasn't for her, but the Blue Queen. "A new queen has been chosen?" He asked and Alice answered with a mere nod, taking a moment to wipe away some of her tears.

"Well, I will most certainly be there!" The Hatter clapped his hands together and he looked as if he would Futterwacken if he wasn't seated. Alice slowly rose to her feet, taking a deep breath, trying to get her emotions under control. "Do you think the new queen would have tea with us?" He then asked Not Alice with a hopeful gaze.

Alice stared at the Mad Hatter in wonder for a moment. Did he not realize who the new queen was going to be? Perhaps, he really didn't know that Not Alice and the Blue Queen was the same person. For a moment, she thought about bursting his bubble and telling him the truth. However, her mind told her no. If the Hatter knew she was going to be the queen, then he most certainly would treat her as one, including the formality and putting an even further personal distance between them. Alice couldn't bear that thought, she just wanted the Hatter the way he was and this was as close as she could to him being Not Alice, not the Blue Queen.

"I'm sure she would love to. I'll pass the message onto her," Alice spoke, trying to offer a grin, but it was merely a twisted expression with her red puffy eyes.

"Marvelous!" The Mad Hatter chirped and took a moment to take a sip of his tea. As he did so, Alice began to back further away. She was completely torn with what to do. Part of her wanted to stay and grasp for any sort of connection with the Mad Hatter, but as she had just said the Blue Queen would be coronate soon. By staying here, she would be putting off what her mind was telling her she must do.

She wasn't the little girl having a tea party with the Mad Hatter, Dormouse, and the March Hare anymore. Furthermore, she wasn't the girl who wouldn't slay a thing if her life depended on it. She wasn't the Alice who slain the Jabberwocky. She was becoming another person, the Blue Queen, and staying here was only hindering that. It was that thought that Alice found herself backing away from the Mad Hatter, willingly pulling away from the one she needed the most.

"Not Alice?" The Mad Hatter called. She wanted to flinch every time he said that name, but she didn't. The corners of his smile faltered a bit as he noticed the distance between them. "You could stay, for tea with us?" He asked softly.

Another sense of a déjà vu passed over Alice when he said that. She found herself back in the shining armor of the Champion. She was back on the chessboard battle field after just slaying the Jabberwocky. The vial of its purple blood was clutched in her fingers and the Hatter was suggesting for her to stay. There was the hopeful expression on his face, trying to convince her to stay in Wonderland.

"What a wonderful idea," Alice murmured to him, ignoring the fresh tears on her cheeks. "But I can't. I have things to do and answers I must find." And just like that, the hopeful smile fell completely from the Hatter's face, just like it had done so a few years ago. Alice had to look away from him and down to the White Rabbit, whose ears slumped, having watched the entire heart wrenching scene.

"Shall we, Nivens?" She asked him, wanting to get away from the tea party as soon as possible. The White Rabbit barely nodded before leading Alice away, the pair disappearing into the woods.

Meanwhile, the Mad Hatter remained in his seat, watching the two of them walk away. After they were gone, he immediately slumped back in his seat. The bright colors about his eyes faded into the black hue, but it wasn't from rage this time. Instead of his eyes changing into an orange or red color, they faded into a deep blue color. It had perhaps been the hardest thing he ever had to do, pushing away Alice and pretending he couldn't even see her.

He looked about the table to be met with very disappointed beady eyes. The Mad Hatter hadn't even noticed Dormouse had woken up and had been listening to most of the conversation. Most of the time she had been waving her sword disapprovingly at him. Now, she had her hands on her hips giving the Mad Hatter a look he had never seen before.

"I do believe that was the most wretched thing I've ever seen you do, Hatter," Dormouse reprimanded him and he dropped his gaze from her. Even the Mad Hatter knew she was right.

"But it had to be done," He mumbled feebly, his gaze on the teacup, which had now cold tea, but even that wasn't appealing to him at the moment. He wasn't expecting it to be this hard, but he had to justify his actions. "This isn't the time anymore when Alice needed to slay the Jabberwocky. She had to become _the_ Alice, the champion of Underland last time."

The Hatter rose to his feet with the conviction of his words. "But Underland doesn't need Alice, the champion anymore. Underland needs a _queen_. Underland needs Alice, the Blue Queen!" For a moment, the green returned to Hatter's eyes as he convinced himself that he had done the right thing.

"I know, Hatter," Dormouse said quietly, putting her sword away. "But at what cost?" He knew then it wasn't just Alice's heart she was talking about.

* * *

In a different part of Underland, Alice had made her journey back to the White Castle in silence with the White Rabbit. A few more tears had escaped her as she thought about what had just conspired at the Mad Hatter's home. She wanted to curl up in a ball by one of the twisted trees in the forest and let her tears pour like an endless river. However, the one thing that kept her from doing so was advice from a wise caterpillar she once knew. Nothing was ever accomplished with tears.

It was with that thought that she kept her marching forward to the White Castle. She thought more and more about what she had just committed herself to. She had just announced to Hatter there will be a Blue Queen. After her conversation about her muchness, she understood a bit more why she was fitted to be the Blue Queen. Maybe there was more the Blue Queen than just the color, there was a deeper meaning. Perhaps she was the Blue Queen because she was quite literally blue, or maybe the blue could be associated with something else. From her conversation with the Hatter, she could only think of ice. Perhaps she was actually being the Ice Queen.

With that thought heavy in her mind, she returned to the castle and immediately sought out the White Queen. There was no point having second thoughts about her decision now, so it was time for everyone to know. She didn't like traveling around in Underland when it was so full of heavy tension either. While Alice had just learned a few days ago that the White Queen was dying, she didn't know how long the rest of Underland knew and were waiting for news of a new queen.

Alice found the White Queen in the courtyard, which the white marble gleamed in the midday sun. The cherry blossom trees lined both sides of the courtyard. The branches seemed to be sagging a bit and the White Queen stared at them in a thoughtful gaze.

"Why are they still so sad, no matter how kindly I speak to them?" Alice heard the White Queen murmured as she approached them.

"Maybe they're anxious about the succession as well," Alice supplied an answer. She looked at the White Queen with a small smile, the tears having long since dried.

The White Queen gave Alice a smile in greet, "Alice! And have you thought about the succession?"

This time Alice was able to smile at the hopeful expression from the Queen. While there were still many answers she needed, she decided she would believe the White Queen's words. If the Alice was truly changed and unrecognizable, she could only move forward from here.

"I have and I think there would be nothing more wonderful for Underland than a Blue Queen," Alice declared.

The White Queen reached her Alice's hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze. "Splendid! Oh, we must have the coronation at once. Tonight would be perfect!" She gushed, evidence of the familiar lighthearted air returned to the weakened Queen in that moment.

"Tonight?" Alice gasped, "So soon?"

"Of course," The White Queen began leading Alice away from the courtyard and into the castle. "But alas, I will still be here to help guide you through the beginning of your rule, Alice," She reassured her.

"I would love nothing more," Alice let out a sigh of relief. As the two of them went inside and heading for one of the numerous staircases.

"Oh, we must find you the perfect gown for the coronation," The White Queen murmured, one of her hands being head above her head as the other dragged Alice along behind her. "It must be the loveliest gown in Underland, in the most beautiful blue, of course. Blue brings out your eyes so wonderfully!"

Alice merely let the queen ramble on, as she was led into a large dressing room eventually. It was a large room with several long racks of dresses and gowns, most of them being in white. She couldn't help but notice the far wall had spools and spools of fabrics in an array of different colors. Apparently they had entered some sort of tailor room. It was the most color she had ever seen in the White Castle.

"… and we must start redecorating the castle at once, as well! It must be perfect for the new rule," The White Queen continued on and it was that statement that suddenly caught her attention.

"Redecorating the castle?" Alice asked in surprise. The White Queen was looking at a couple different styles of the white gowns and glancing to the fabrics along the wall. She stopped and turned to Alice with a gentle smile.

"Of course, Underland cannot have a Blue Queen in a White Castle," The White Queen said matter-of-factly. Alice gulped, wondering just what exactly she was getting herself into.

* * *

The rest of the day had passed by in a flurry that Alice never knew before. It seemed that half of Underland had shown up at the rumor there would be a coronation that very evening. Apparently they still hadn't been told who exactly the new queen would be since it would be a surprise until the very moment it was announced at the coronation. In the few moments of free time Alice had, she was able to sneak a peek at the setup involved for the celebration.

Apparently despite the hype around it, the coronation was not a very formal and structured event as she expected. She had initially assumed it would be a very long ceremony and quite boring like the ones from Upland. From what she learned, the only thing needed on her part was to look her best and think of a vow to be made to Underland. The White Queen had informed her it was a tradition of every queen at their coronation to make a vow to Underland. At the White Queen's coronation, she had vowed to never harm a living creature. Every queen in the history of Underland had made a vow, with the exception of the Red Queen, of course.

So during the fittings and sessions, Alice thought about what her vow would be. It was hard to decide what a Blue Queen would vow to do for Underland. She couldn't possibly say she would never harm a living creature, especially considering she had slain the Jabberwocky. However, she didn't want to have such an oppressive ruling that everyone lived in fear of her either, like the Red Queen.

Often Alice had been distracted from her thoughts with the scurrying of the animals about the castle. At first she felt guilty about having them doing so much bidding and work. She had a flash of the Red Castle for a moment and how the animals had been used for everything, including the furniture. However, that thought was soon dashed away as she noticed something considerably different about the demeanor of the animals around the castles. They were smile and appeared to be genuinely happy to be doing what they were! Even the cherry blossoms in the courtyard seemed to hold their branches a little higher when the first decorations for the coronation started to go up.

The White Castle underwent a transformation that day as well. At first when the White Queen said they would redecorate the castle, Alice had pictured hundreds and hundreds of buckets of paint being splattered against the castle to color it blue. However, instead it was rather tastefully decorated. The walls of the castle were still kept the clean white brick, but everything was accentuated by touches of blues in a variety of different shades. Flags and banners were draped everywhere, giving the castle an alluring feel she had never felt before. The lighter blues still kept the castle feeling open and airy, but there was the hint of the somber navy colors.

As the night time fell upon the Blue Castle, the cherry blossom courtyard was transformed into the coronation reception. Several tables were set up, adorn with blue tablecloths and matching chairs for those gain weary feet. A dance floor was kept wide open for the after ceremony celebration, which was actually the main event for the coronation. Several ice sculptures were placed about the courtyard and they glittered with the night light. At times, to the curious mind, it looked as if the sculptures would move on their own.

Above the courtyard, there appeared to be floating lights, illuminating the entire event. However, upon a closer look, one could see they were not brightly colored floating lanterns at all. They were actually puffer fish with their great bellies glowing as they swam as if the air was their ocean.

Time had been a bit funny that day. Before Alice could emotionally comprehend what was going on, it was time for the coronation. The courtyard soon filled with creatures and animals from all over Underland. Most of them she didn't recognize at all, except for the few she had met during her stay at the Red Queen. There was the undeniable contagious air of happiness amongst the guests. The coronation started and Alice couldn't help but feel like it was all a blur. She stood up before the crowd with the White Queen as she gave a short speech. Alice wore the most wonderful blue evening gown with a silky fabric that she had never seen before. It was strapless and hugged the curls of her body down until it flared out around her thighs. The fabric reached the floor, draping in a way that appeared like ripples in the sea when she moved. On top of the dress, she had insisted on wearing the captains' jacket over the dress, at least until the celebration after the coronation.

There was much cheering in the crowd at the announcement of Alice being the Blue Queen. She could even have sworn she saw the leaves of the trees clapping for the new royalty. All during the while, her eyes had been seeking out one person in the crowd. Perhaps part of the reason why the ceremony felt like a blur was because she couldn't find him. In a way, it reminded her of her wedding day once again. It was like she was standing at the altar, looking at the groom. She was trying to see a different man in that groom, but she never did. So instead, she looked upon the crowd at the coronation with a smile that never reached her eyes and a heart surrounded by ice.

Alice was pulled from her thoughts as the White Queen removed the crown from upon her head. Alice bowed her head slightly and allowed her to place the crown upon her head. It felt heavy against her hair; it was cold and foreign as well. "And I present to you, Alice, the Blue Queen!" The White Queen announced and was met with another eruption of cheering from the crowd. Alice offered a small grin to the crowd.

It took a long minute before the crowd finally died down again, gazing upon their new queen with anxious eyes. Alice took a deep breath, knowing it was time to give her vow. "Thank you, Underland, for this day forward, I, Alice, the Blue Queen, vow to protect and watch over Underland with a firm, but kind rule."

The thunderous applause ripped through the courtyard once more. Alice had hoped she picked the perfect vow. She didn't want to be too harsh, but she was a strong and confident woman. As the crowd roared on further, several dainty hummingbirds flew up to where she stood. Each of them bowed their heads before speaking, "Your Majesty, may we paint this joyous moment?" Alice raised an eyebrow at the glimmering green bird before noticing he was referring to a canvas setup near the tables where the other animals were seated. The canvas had several jars of paint and brushes so small they could be held in the beaks of the humming birds.

"Of course," Alice said with a blush, it wasn't too often she was asked to pose for a portrait.

"Thank you, your highness, we only needs a pose for a minute or spare," The little bird hummed before the rest of them flew back to the canvas. She wasn't sure just about many of them there were since they moved so quickly, but she had to guess five or six. So she stood facing the birds and gave her best smile, which still never reach her eyes. True to their word, it didn't take long before she got an affirmative nod from one of the birds. From there, Alice and the White Queen descended down to the dance floor.

Apparently there was a traditional first dance before the celebration commenced. At first, Alice had thought it was similar to the first dance at a wedding. However, there was no father or any man she would have to dance with at this celebration. The only man she would want to share a first dance with was not even present apparently. Instead, the first dance at this celebration was shared between the new queen and the old queen, signifying the end of one reign and the beginning of another. Alice shed her jacket for the dance, revealing the full beauty of her gown. Alice also had the crown put away for safe keeping, it she didn't want to risk something happening to it while dancing. She stood before the White Queen and waited for the music to start.

While it wasn't the type of music she was used to in Upland, she certainly did enjoy it. However, it was slow and the White Queen pulled Alice into a dance that was very similar to a waltz. At first, she thought it would have been incredibly awkward to be waltzing around the dance floor with another woman in front of a massive crowd. However, Alice instead found herself rather at ease and merely only felt she should break the silence between them.

"Thank you for believing in me, your Majesty," Alice said genuinely to the White Queen. She merely gave Alice a knowing smile before laughing lightly.

"Alice dear, you're the one wearing the crown now. Please, call me Mirana," She said kindly.

"Alright, as long as you call me Alice, not 'your Majesty'," Alice replied and the two of them shared a laugh.

After the first dance, the celebration was brought into full swing. The dance floor was consumed by giddy creatures. While Alice was never able to locate the source of the music, it felt as if it was all about them, playing in cheery, whimsical tunes. Alice was whisked away by several eager creatures to dance with her and she couldn't help but accept each one that asked. The infectious attitude was starting to get to her as well. Before she never had so much dancing, but that was because dancing in Underland was so much different. There was no set pattern or strict rules. No one sneered at you if you bummed into them or stepped on their foot. Everyone went at their own pace.

Alice found herself dancing with many of her old friends. She even shared a dance with Tweedledee and Tweedledum, compromising after they couldn't figure out who would dance with Blue Queen first. After them, she was asked for another dance by a familiar sea lion and Alice gave him a small smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"How are ye', my queen?" The magenta lion greeted with the same green bowler hat as they paired up for another slow dance.

"I'm well, it's good to see you, my friend. I'm afraid I never got your name last time, though," Alice said kindly, thinking nothing of waltzing with a sea lion and holding his flipper.

"Mister Flickitywitty, at your service, but you can just call me Flip," His whiskers flickered as he spoke and for a moment Alice thought he would raise his bowler hat to her again. She couldn't help but giggle at the proud sea lion.

However, shortly into the dance, Alice heard another voice behind her and she was starting to get rather turned around with so many people cutting into her dances. "May I cut in, sir?" The voice said to Flip. The sea lion gave a short bow of his head and quickly faded into the crowd. Alice, disappointed to be losing her new friend so quickly, turned around to see who was cutting in.

She was met with bright green eyes and fiery orange hair. "Hatter," She whispered softy, smiling at the pale eccentric man before him. He still wore his 10/6 hat, but had on a different jacket than normal. It was hard to say how it was different, since it still had several different fabrics and a dash of color all over. Somehow this jacket just looked more formal for the occasion.

"May I have this dance?" He asked a bit shyly with a smile. Despite what had happened earlier, Alice knew this smile was for her and her resolve melted immediately. She nodded her head feebly and moved to join him for the waltz. She tried to place one hand on his shoulder and the other out to hold his, but he wouldn't have it. The Mad Hatter pulled Alice closer to him, placing both hands on her waist.

A scarlet blush danced across her cheeks rather brightly. Her mind had trouble trying to recall the last time she was this close to the hatter. He smelled of honey and a tea she couldn't quite guess the flavor, but it left her wanting to lean in for a deeper inhale. Hesitantly, she placed her hands on his shoulders and let the hatter lead the dance.

"I know I'm terribly late, but me and Time had a little miffy before I came," Hatter tried to supply an explanation for his tardiness.

"Maybe you should try being nicer to Time," Alice suggested with a grin. The Mad Hatter wrinkled his nose a moment at the thought, "No, he's a disagreeable fellow," He muttered.

Distractedly, the Mad Hatter looked away from Alice and to the stage where the Blue Queen and Mirana had announced the new queen. His expression looked briefly disappointed, "It looks like I missed the Blue Queen," He muttered, but it didn't seem that genuine.

"Yes, she retired for the evening," Alice quickly said, still going along with the charade that they were two different women. The Mad Hatter gave a half shrug before looking at Alice.

"Speaking of Blue Queen, look at you, wearing blue on the new queen's big day," The Hatter commented, looking at the Alice's evening gown before her light blue eyes. "_Naughty_," He added.

Alice laughed and then realized just how much she had missed side of Hatter. This was the one she thought about almost every day since she drank the Jabberwocky blood. He wasn't looking at her as if she didn't belong in Underland. He was the smiling, bubbly tea-drinking Mad Hatter that he should be. Before she could revel in that thought much longer, the Hatter leaned in to whisper something in her ear, causing her mind to fog at his proximity.

"But I think blue looks more beautiful on _you_ than any queen," His breath fell on her ear as he whispered before pulling away with an innocent smile. Alice gasped, unable to help the shiver that ran up her spine. Had any other man said such a thing to her, she surely would have been disgusted, but instead she felt her stomach tighten into a knot and her face flush.

"Hatter, when did you become so bold?" She exclaimed, unsure if he realized just what sort of affect he had on her or if he knew what he was implying by such a statement. There were times that Hatter's emotions were easy to read, but this simply wasn't one of them.

"You're not the only one that's changed, Not Alice," He then suddenly said somberly. His character subdued quickly in that moment and she knew exactly what he meant. Two years was a long time and plenty of opportunity for someone to change. However, in that moment, Alice decided while she had several questions that needed answers, she didn't want those answers tonight. She just wanted to enjoy the real Hatter in this moment that he was giving her.

So instead of replying to his statement, Alice leaned her head against Hatter's shoulder and closed her eyes. The couple swayed to and fro to a melody of a slow dance that had long since ceased.


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: So this is a very significant chapter and you'll see why when Hatter tells his story. _

_Please, please let me know what you think of this chapter. What do you think of Hatter after all this?_

_I got several reviews saying I'm being quite evil with Hatter and Alice... :P But honestly, don't you enjoy it as well? It'll all come together in the end, I promise._

_IxAmxThexFivexTailsx - At the moment I don't plan on bumping the rating, but it's still a possibility._

_Just wanted to send an extra thank you to, Rag Daz the Spaz Kat, I'm glad you are enjoying the story so much! it means quite a bit to me. I'm actually a college student myself so the writing is a good break from work._

_Another special thanks to NeverFree! I'm looking forward to working out future chapters with you._

**WARNING: There is a major plot twist in this chapter that does not follow the books or previous Alice versions other than Tim Burton's. Give it a chance.**

* * *

As much as Alice wanted to stay in that moment forever and continuing dancing as if nothing was wrong, she knew she couldn't. Alice wasn't a child anymore and she couldn't just simply wish away her worries. There were questions she needed answers to and the man that was holding her close had some of the answers. Carefully, Alice lifted her head and found Hatter looking at her with a rather content grin. The corner of her mouth tugged to form one of her own, but she had to keep her mind focused.

"Hatter, why did you go to Upland?" She asked quietly, hoping the question wouldn't draw out the somber hatter she had met earlier. The last thing she wanted was to ruin this moment and be reduced to tears. Despite what he had done earlier, she couldn't bring herself to think ill of him.

"Why, to look for you, silly," He answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Alice furrowed her brows. She wasn't sure what he meant by that statement now. Just earlier in the day he had said that she was the wrong Alice, but now he was saying he had been looking for her?

"What are you talking about, Hatter?" She asked him bluntly.

He mistook her question and prattled on further. "Lots of people were looking for you! As soon as Mirana said she was sick, she told us to come looking for you. McTwisp, Hare, Mally, and I all went to Upland to look for you. Which Upland is quite big, I must say, I ended up in such bizarre places and horribly lost in this place called 'New York'. Poor Hare ended up getting chased by dogs and funny men carrying these metal things. But then that verminous rascal came back with all those newspapers, he ruined so much tea! That snargling, slackerous, squiveren, struninous…"

"Hatter!" Alice interrupted another one of his rage spurts. His eyes faded from the orange back to the green instantly and he stopped for a moment.

"I'm fine," He squeaked out, "Thank you."

"Wait, so March Hare was the one who got the newspapers?" Alice asked, trying to imagine the deranged little hare carrying so many newspapers. Then again, he could hurl teacups with quite some strength so she didn't put it down as impossible.

"Oh yes, he made a rightful mess of my tea party," Hatter said chirpily and then added with a deeper tone of his voice, "Did you know I still can't find my teapot?"

This came as quite a surprise to Alice. She had so thought Hatter was the one to find the newspapers. It wasn't hard to imagine him sitting over the newspaper with a depressed remorse expression. However, at the same time, she could easily imagine the March Hare finding them and Hatter going into another rage over the mess he made of the tea party. She could imagine him yelling at the Hare he wouldn't be able to have the party ready in time for six o'clock.

"Hatter, did you read the newspapers?" Alice felt rather silly asking such a question, since any sane person would probably at least read the headline. However, Alice was learning one thing and that was to never assume. The Mad Hatter was by far not a sane person and she wasn't going to assume anymore that he would behave like that.

Hatter let out a high pitched laugh at her question, reminding her greatly of the day he laughed at the Red Queen in her throne room. It was a short, but spirited burst of laughter. "Why would I do that? Upland newspapers are so boring, the pictures don't move, the words are so tiny and they sit still…"

"Moving pictures?" Alice tried to question in confusion.

"So anywho, I told Hare he should put them back where they belong! That would be the correct thing to do, you know," The Hatter prattled on without answering her question. Alice fell silent at this new information. If the Hatter never read the newspaper, then he didn't know that Alice was thought to be dead in Upland. She supposed that was a good thing to not be thought to be dead, after all. However, something Hatter said just a few moments ago was still nagging the back of her mind.

"If you were looking for me, then why did you say I was wrong person earlier?" Alice asked, narrowing her eyes sharply at the Hatter.

The Mad Hatter pulled his expression into a thoughtful one at the moment, apparently trying to pick out the best words. "You're not the wrong person. We weren't looking for _the_ Alice, Jabberwocky slaying Alice… But you're not quite the Alice, but you could be!"

Alice was silent for a very long time, thinking about his words. In his own way, the hatter made perfect sense to Alice and probably no one else. From what she understood, he was trying to say that she was supposed to be someone, but she just wasn't quite that someone yet. She didn't have to slay a Jabberwocky this time around, but she had to do something else.

It was in that silence that the dancing couple finally noticed the music had stopped. Apparently it was quite late into the evening and the celebration was starting to wind down. Most of the dance floor had cleared out and there were still several lingering guests. Hatter noticed the music stopped as well and let go of Alice's waist. She dropped her hands, but didn't take a step back from Hatter.

"Are you going to be staying here?" Alice couldn't help but ask. If he was going to be returning to his home, she wasn't sure when the next time she was going to see him. Surely, as the new queen, she would be quite busy the next few days. She doubted there would be much time for her to venture outside of the castle. She had a lot to learn about ruling Underland.

"If that's what the Blue Queen wishes," Hatter replied softly with a small smile. There was a familiar hopeful hint to his eyes.

"She would," Alice answered. At that moment, she wasn't sure if she was still going along with the charade or speaking for herself. It was hard to judge if the hatter felt either way as well. She was going to step away, so she could retire for the evening. All the dancing and celebration had made her quite exhausted. Before she did though, Hatter stopped her by reaching out, placing a hand on her waist. He then leaned in to whisper in her ear once more, causing Alice to halt where she was and suck in her breath.

"Good night, _Alice_," His breath fell against her, causing Alice to shiver for the second time. A blush crept back up on her cheeks as she took a step away from Hatter, towards the castle.

"Good night, Tarrant," She called back to him before turning away and heading into the castle, at a rather brisk pace. Her heart was pounding as she ascended the stairs and disappeared into the Blue Castle. Her mind was buzzing and emotions humming from all the events of the evening, wanting nothing more than to relax in her own bed.

Meanwhile, the Mad Hatter was left standing on the middle of the dance floor, watching Alice walk away from her with the glimmer of her dress as she moved. She was a complete vision that even his half-mad mind could never dream up. He stood there a long while, thinking about the way his name had rolled off her lips. At least, he thought about it until he was rudely interrupted by a sharp stab into his foot.

He yelped and looked down to find Mallyumkin by his feet. She was holding her sword, which had just been used to prick his large toe. "So much for sticking to the plan, Hatter!" She reprimanded him with a huff from her little tiny mouse body.

The Mad Hatter smiled sheepishly, "It was more of just guidelines, anyhow… _Technically_, she is the Blue Queen now."

Mallyumkin sheathed her sword, but she was unimpressed and cross her arms impatiently. Seeing her reaction, the smile faltered from the Mad Hatter. The color around his eyes darkened again into the blackness of the night and his eyes faded into navy. "Fine… I couldn't be that close to her and possibly pretend I was indifferent," He admitted honestly.

"Except you were practically feeling her up," Mally shook her head at the Hatter. A wicked grin passed over his features quickly, but he somber up and gave Mally an honest expression. "I promise I'll make it up. I'll help Alice realize who she really is."

* * *

Two days passed quickly after the coronation. Alice barely had time to take in flurry of activities herself. From the moment she had woken the following morning of the celebration, there were places to be and many people to meet. Her quarters were moved a more extravagant room. She didn't want to ask if it was the one that Mirana resided in previously, but it had been decorated in the shades of blue so quickly she figured it wasn't possible. The room was centered around a rather large queen size bed, which had a robin egg blue canopy and navy coverings. The furniture was made from a wood that she could only compare to mahogany, but seriously doubted that's what it was. Whatever it was, it contrasted the curtains and other fabrics in the room amazingly.

First she had to meet with tailors of all kinds. There were dress makers, which came with rolls of tape measures, even though they didn't need it for her tiny frame. They measured everything from her waist line, to the size of her hips, her calves, her arms, and even the width of her wrists. Just when she thought she got through it all, she would have to do it all over again with a different tailor. After the dress maker, it was the shirt maker, and then following that was the pant maker. After that were the accessory maker and then the jewelry. And quite honestly, after that point, Alice stopped bothering to ask who they were. She wanted to just tell them to compare notes instead of poking and prodding, taping and pining in her body in every imaginable place. However, they were quite pushy and the schedule for the day already seemed to be decided. The only thing she noticed was lacking was a hat maker.

It was probably close to midday before she was even able to emerge from her room. Alice had returned to the captain's uniform from her first day, since at that point she wanted nothing to do with anything made by any of those tailors. Alice was able to take a break to join Mirana for lunch. They decided to avoid the bustle of the castle by eating in the kitchen. The last time she had been in the kitchen, it was when Mirana made the potion to return Alice to her normal size the day she brought the Vorpal Sword. However, this time around, it was unusually quiet without the March Hare bouncing about the room and the smashing noise of dishes against the wall.

After lunch, Alice was taken to the throne room and for the first time she sat in the place that she had seen Mirana so many times. This time, she was the one wearing the crown and the room was not overwhelmingly white. She spent the rest of the afternoon being introduced to the members of the court. At first, Alice was very eager to meet each of them, since so many of them had traveled from afar and was nothing like she had ever seen before.

She met nobles such as Valerica from Vilicina, a land which was a sanctuary dedicated to creatures of a fox-like nature. Valerica was a rather human individual herself with striking hazel eyes and heavy auburn hair. Sticking out from her hair was two fox ears which black tips; they twitched and listened intently as she introduced herself. She had a rather charming personality and Alice got the feeling she could be quite elusively if the occasion arose.

There were other nobles, such as Kruckron from the highest mountains regions in Upland. He was a tall, slumberous man of great stature. He had worn hands and a chiseled face, as if the mountain sheers had carved it themselves. He had a laugh that rumbled and Alice swore it could cause the earth to quake.

Amongst the noble introductions, Alice noticed a familiar figure among them and offered a small smile when he stepped forward. Well, she should say wiggled forward since he had no legs of his own to walk on.

"Flip!" Alice said cheerily at the sea lion. He had on his green bowler hat, but this time he wore a matching coat, which had intricate embroidery on one side in gold, depicting a waterfall. His whiskers perked up and he flashed what Alice could only describe as a sea lion smile.

"Your Majesty, it's a pleasure to see you again," He said in his deep rumble, taking off his hat and offering a bow to Alice.

"As it is to see you, Flip. I wasn't aware you were part of the court," Alice said politely and curious to what part he was from.

"Aye, I represent the whirlpools of Splishapore," The lion answered proudly and Alice nodded her head, trying to commit the names to memory. Honestly, at this point though, she would be amazed if she remembered more than two people.

Before the sea lion stepped back for another noble, Alice had a curious question to ask him. "So, did you know that day I was coming to Underland?" She wondered how it had been such incredible luck he brought her to safety.

"Yes, well, I didn't know _you_ would be coming up, but I had shown the Rabbit where the portal to Upland was. I knew someone would be coming up and it happened to be you," Flip explained.

Alice nodded her head in understanding before speaking gratefully, "Well thank you, Flip, if you weren't there I surely would have drowned."

"It was my pleasure!" He said, offering another tip of his bowler hat before fading back into the crowd.

From there, Alice continued to meet more and more members of the court. She wondered how Mirana had ever kept track of them at all. Not only were there so many of them, but they had names unlike anything she was used to in London. With each name of the noble, she also had to try to remember where they were from. She figured she would have to learn more about these places later, since she didn't have time to stop and ask every one of them what their homeland was like. Underland was much more massive than she had originally thought it to be.

After a while, Alice found herself giving up on remembering the names. It was simply too overwhelming to keep track of it, she already had the physical exhaustion on top of it from having been in fitting for hours prior to this. She settled to merely count the nobles as they came and went. It was well over thirty before she even stopped doing that. She found herself just offering a small smile that never reached her eyes to each of them and going through the customary polite greetings and introductions. They were all so eager to meet her, so that was the least she could for them.

After meeting the last of the nobles, a silence fell about the room and Valerica stepped forward once more. The rest of the court watched her anxiously, as if she was quietly agreed to be the spokes person for what was all on their mind.

"Your Majesty," Valerica greeted again offering a slight bow. Alice shifted a bit uncomfortably in her seat at the address. It was still an odd feeling to get used to when everyone was bowing and calling you things such as 'Your highness'.

"What's troubling you?" Alice asked curiously, trying to skip around the formality.

Valerica glanced between the Blue Queen and the rest of the court, receiving a few reassuring nods for the court. "Well, speaking on behalf of the court, we were wondering what the new proper attire would be?"

It was then Alice noticed that all of the members were wearing white and shades of light grey. She had never really thought much of it before, but that's all she ever saw them wearing. Was that what Mirana had required them to wear? It was too much white for Alice's taste and too representative of the old reign. However, at the same time, she wouldn't feel comfortable telling them to only wear blue. The castle was certainly wearing enough blue for anyone.

"Proper attire?" Alice questioned a bit sharply, suddenly having another sense of déjà vu. This time it was of a memory not in Underland. "And who is to decide what's proper? If I told you to wear a codfish on your head, would you do it?"

An uncomfortable silence fell upon the throne room. Some of the women visibly blanched at the idea of wearing a slimy fish on their head. The men shifted a bit uncomfortably and there was a nervous cough echoing from the back somewhere. Most importantly though, no one came out and said they wouldn't wear it. _They couldn't be serious_, Alice thought to herself. She was amazed she could possibly have such power over people like this.

"Fine then," Alice sighed, coming to a decision quickly. "You may wear any color that pleases you, except for blue, there's enough of it in the castle. Oh, also I would highly frown upon anyone that wears red, for the obvious reason."

Alice rose from her seat having quite enough of the court formalities for one day. Before leaving the room, she couldn't help but add, just to be safe, "And I better not see anyone wearing codfishes!"

Dinner came quickly and Alice had been offered to dine with some of the higher nobles of the court. However, by that point, she had insisted on eating by herself, to gather her thoughts. The exhaustion was so evident on her, there was little protest. Besides no one would go against the queen's wishes, right? Alice scarcely remembered the meal she ate, which she couldn't identify what exactly it was, but it seemed to change smell constantly as she ate it. One moment it would smell mouth wateringly sweet and then the next it would have the hearty scent of a warm broth.

Alice had collapsed into the comfort of her bed shortly after that and slept heavily. Her dreams were very fleeting that night and merely flash of vague memories. Some of them were of the manor of Lord Ascot, but even as she experienced this moments, she didn't get any sense of longing to go back to Upland. Being conceived to be dead and no longer attached to Upland, she hadn't experienced the sense of longing to go back and look for answers. She actually hadn't even thought of her husband until she slept that night. She had a fleeting sense of guilt for having thought so little of her marriage lately, but there was nothing to do change her current situation.

The next morning Alice awoke with a faint grasp of her memories. Her husband was quickly forgotten once more when her eyes opened to the sky blue canopy of her bed. The last thing she wanted right now was a complication from Upland to make her situation anymore stressful. Instead, she was immediately distracted by the chamber maid, whom was a kind old woman with faint orange eyes. The maid seemed mostly human, but her features were a bit off, her cheeks were much defined and she had a long, sharp nose. Alice wondered what exactly she descended from, but didn't have time to question her about it. The chamber maid helped her into a casual dress for the day, which was very light and flowing. It was a turquoise color with black trim, but most importantly, she wasn't required to wear a corset or any stockings with it.

After breakfast, Alice had met with Mirana in one of the numerous studies in the castle. Mirana had been true to her word so far, she was present almost the entire time yesterday. She had helped Alice with the introductions, despite the obvious weakness of the late queen. Her eyes were a little darker with a shadow underneath them. The airy nature about her was greatly subdued, which caused Alice to constantly worry about her condition. She just hoped Mirana wouldn't leave them before she was ready to handle Underland by herself.

The study itself was a rather open room with several oversized couches and loveseats scattered about the room. There were a few short bookshelves which housed several scrolls and no actual books. The light of the room came from an open sky light in the ceiling. Looking up, Alice noticed the iron supporting the glass was actually in the design of a compass.

Mirana was standing at a center table with several scrolls open, covering the entire surface of the table. She was gazing down at them half interestedly before hearing Alice's arrival. "Good morning, Alice!"

"Morning', Mirana," Alice greeted, still rather sleepily. "What are we doing today?"

"I thought you could use a break and learn about Underland at more leisurely pace today," Mirana said kindly and Alice was already in favor of whatever she had in mind. If she had to be introduced to one more person she was going to start wearing a name tag instead!

"I have the most recent charted map of all of Underland before you, here," Mirana explained further. "I know you met so many representatives, I thought it would be good if you could put a place to the names they're from."

Alice nodded and moved closer to the maps she was referring to on the table. They were aged and yellow from exposure, reminding her of the Oraculum in a way. Her eyes fell upon the lands briefly, fleeting about the open deserts of Underland, the rivers and lakes abundant throughout. Something rather peculiar got her attention though, in the regions of some of the forests, but more importantly the mountains.

"The map is moving!" Alice exclaimed in wonder as she stared. Sure enough, the mountains moved sporadically and seemingly without pattern. Where a mountain may lie south in the region one moment, it had hopped over several others to the north in the next. It was almost like they were doing a scattered dance, but Alice couldn't quite understand the pattern. One moment two mountains might be nestled close together, like dance partners, but then the next they might be as far from each other as possible.

"Yes, some parts of Underland are constantly changing, so that's how we charted them. Those mountains in particular are quite restless. Some of them are attracted to each other while others are repelled, so they're constantly trying to find a balance," Mirana explained calmly, following Alice's gaze.

"You mean, like magnets?" Alice asked, the behavior of the mountains suddenly making sense.

"Exactly," Mirana agreed with a proud smile. Alice nodded her head and placed both hands on the table, to look at the map closer. It was incredibly detailed; Alice could make out a few familiar objects on the map. There was the staircase leading to the tiny door she had come through on her first two visits to Wonderland. She also spotted the mushroom patch where Absolem used to live before they were driven out by the Knave. It was also possible to make out the crooked and broken wind mill of the Mad Hatter's home.

Those were only a few of the things she could recognize, but most of Underland was completely foreign to her. Then a thought crossed her mind, the vastness of Underland was quite large. If she could compare it to anything, but she would have to guess at that since there weren't any scales on the map, she thought it was probably half the size of Europe.

"Mirana, how did you rule over so much land?" Alice asked curiously, it was quite a kingdom to be controlled by one person.

"Oh, I didn't. Most of Underland I let run its course," Mirana said with a slight airy tone, not exactly seeing where Alice was going with such a question.

"Run its course?" Alice questioned, "That sounds rather… chaotic." She made the comment with the Red Queen in mind. Not having any sort of grasp on the lands would allow for an uprising and revolt very easily, never mind she wouldn't be aware if there was a major problem in part of Underland.

"Well, in Upland, sometimes lands would have Lords to watch over them, but they were usually not very kind and rather harsh. I was thinking, maybe we need someone to watch over these areas and they could report back to the castle. I don't think they necessarily need to rule over the land, so to speak, but they could just be a watchful eye, like a guardian!" Alice exclaimed as the idea came to her mind. "What do you think?" She looked to Mirana hopefully.

Mirana smiled fondly at Alice and nodded her head slowly, "I think Guardians are an excellent idea, your Majesty."

Alice frowned at the title.

* * *

Alice spent a good portion of the morning with Mirana in what she had learned was called the Navigation Room. Most of the time it was spent hunched over the recent map of Underland. Mirana was pointing out the various areas of Underland, showing Alice the quickest and safest routes to different regions as well. Honestly, Alice tried to retain some of it, in the very least learning the routes, but giving up on the regions. It was all quite overwhelming. It was like she was given a map of Europe and told to memorize all the major cities, rivers, borders, mountains, and lakes at once.

She just simply couldn't do and gave into frustration after a while. She had to excuse herself from Mirana, just wanting to get away for a while. That was how she found herself back on what she was beginning to call Absolem's balcony. Alice retreated to the bench and gazed upon the numerous waterfalls. At least the waterfalls weren't expecting her to do anything! They weren't asking for her to memorize all the members of the courts and the extent of Underland.

Alice sat in silence, her gaze sometimes wandering to the blue roses that were starting to grow along the railings as well. A small smile that didn't reach her eyes came across her features as she looked at them. They were so brilliantly and vibrant of color, but they looked like something that could come from Upland. In a way, she thought they were a lot like her. They weren't flowers with faces, which made snide comments at everyone. They were just like her, somewhere between Upland and Underland.

A throat cleared behind Alice, causing her to turn around in surprise. She wasn't expecting him to be standing there and she wondered how long he was just watching her. "Hatter!" She said softly, offering a small grin to the man mad as a hatter. She felt reassured he was actually looking at her today, but the back of her mind still reminded her of the incident at the tea party.

"Lately I've been pondering things that begin with the letter 'M', but I haven't had anyone to ponder such things with," Hatter said with a slight husky tone moving closer to the bench. Alice moved over to allow him room to sit down and watched curiously as he did so.

"How have you _really_ been, Not Alice?" Hatter snapped back to his normally cheery tone, flashing Alice a gap toothy smile.

"Honestly, speaking?" Alice said with a sigh, also choosing to ignore the nickname. Hatter nodded, encouraging her with his smile to speak her mind.

"The past two days, I've been poked, prodded, measured, and taped. I've been told where I should go and what I must do. I've had to meet people I didn't feel like speaking to. I've had to learn things that are simply too much. I'm overwhelmed and hardly feel like I'm cut out to be a queen," Alice went on a full blown rant with a sharp tone. She almost felt like a child that was going to stomp her foot had she been standing.

The Hatter was quiet a moment, his expression pulled into a thoughtful one as his green eyes swirled with bits of gold in them as he stared off into the distance. Then his face lit up as an idea came to him, "Oh I know! A story will make you feel better," He said and then leaned in closer to Alice to look her in the eye. "Once History told me a story, a very rare, but marvelous one at that!"

Alice blinked in surprise, "You met History? What was he like?" Her curiosity got the best of her.

"Yes!" Hatter nodded, "He was quite the mysterious mongrel and had a habit of repeating himself." He then shook his head, trying not to let himself get distracted. "But he told me a magnificent story…" Hatter leaned in further to Alice to whisper, "Did you know you're not the first one to fall down the rabbit hole from Upland?"

"Really?" Alice gasped. The Hatter leaned back, apparently proud of himself for now having her full attention. He cleared his throat before starting what was apparently a long story.

"Yes, it all began a long time ago in Underland. It was before Time had gotten so terribly upset and everything flowed like does in Upland. Night would always come at the same time and it would stay around most nights the same amount of time. The days were consistent; however, the peace was not. For you see, Underland was in a very dark time. Underland was broken into several different kingdoms and some areas were under no control of any kingdom.

While no one knew how he had come across the rabbit hole or figured out how to get through the tiny door, one fateful morning a man emerged from that tiny door. He was no older than you are now and dressed like no other creature in Underland. The only thing that he carried for protection was a shiny sword with a peculiar triangular pattern along the blade. He was amazed by the world he had entered, which the flowers gave him condescending looks and mushrooms that were larger than any building he had seen. He claimed them to be, 'curiouser and curiouser'.

Of course, the arrival of such a creature to Underland would not go unnoticed for long. The man had barely wandered around the gardens of Underland before getting the feeling he was being watched, and not just by the flowers and the gnarled trees with their twisted branches. A cold breeze passed through him, the chills being enough for him to stop in his tracks.

'Surely, I will be blamed for dragging _this_ in,' A voice purred behind him. He turned around to find a smiling cat perched on a tree branch."

At this point, Alice curiously interrupted, "Chessur?" She asked. Hatter nodded, "The one and only…"

"Chessur asked the man who he was and where he had come from. However, the man was quite stubborn and unwilling to believe in a talking cat. So Chessur decided that he would have to find out who he was through deceit. He told the man that he knew a way out of this land and back to where he was from.

The man unknowingly followed the evaporating cat, despite his better instincts; he didn't have much choice at that point. Instead of being led back to the tiny door or one of the other portals of Underland, Chessur led him to a part of Underland where the mushrooms grew taller than the trees. They met with a blue caterpillar, which had a habit of speaking in riddles and no idea who the strange man was. They concluded the best option at thought point would be to bring him to Marmoreal, where the King and Queen would know what to do with this strange traveler.

They took him to the White Castle of Marmoreal to meet with the King at the time. However, when they got there, they found the King couldn't be bothered with the lost traveler. Their daughter had recently been taken by the rogue Jabberwocky. The King and Queen were to too distraught over Mirana to help the man seek a way back to Upland.

However, this strange man was a man of making deals and compromises. He proposed to the King and Queen that he would find this Jabberwocky and save their daughter. He had the sword to do it; they would just need to supply him the armor for protection. The King found no other option and promptly had the finest armor made for the man. It was fashioned to protect him from neck to toe, but still allow for comfortable flexibility.

The man was fashioned with one horse and sent from the White Castle with a grand farewell reception. For you see, when he decided to go after the Jabberwocky, he made that choice knowing he would be facing the Jabberwocky alone. So alone, he rode the horse to the most barren area of Underland. It was the realm the Jabberwocky had claimed for his own. The trees were dead with twisted branches, groping towards the sky in vain hope. The ground was black and charred from the power of the Jabberwocky. The man met the Jabberwocky on a battlefield of white and black, like a chess board.

With the sword at his side and no one behind him, the man fought with the Jabberwocky, determined to slay it and save the princess of Marmoreal. It was a long and tiring battle, in which it seemed that neither side was going to win. The man would slash at the beast and then take a blow, before taking another slash. It carried on for an hour before exhaustion started to get the better of them both. In a careless move of the Jabberwocky, the man was able to get its neck with the blade of his sword pressed against the back of his head, ready to drive straight into its skull.

However, in that moment, the man realized he couldn't slay a thing, even if his life depended on it. Instead, he decided to make a deal with the Jabberwocky. The monster was to release the princess and allow them a safe passage home; in return the Jabberwocky wouldn't lose his head. The creature, humiliated but in no position to negotiate otherwise, gave in.

Mirana was release and the two of them rode the horse back to Marmoreal. They were met with the grandest of celebrations. The King and Queen could have never been more grateful to anyone for saving their daughter. They were eager to grant him anything he wished, including passage back to Upland. At first, the man had thought that was exactly what he desired the most and his adventure in Underland would end there. However, something else happened that he hadn't been expecting. Do you know what it was?"

Alice remained in awed silence and simply shook her head, allowing Hatter to continue on.

"_Love._

For you see, the man knew the moment he set his eyes upon Mirana he had been truly smitten. He had never believed in true love until he saw Mirana for the first time. He knew from that moment that he couldn't possibly return to Upland. So he remained in Upland amongst the court of the King and Queen. Mirana and the man embarked on a passionate, but secretive affair from that point on. The King had thought for sure the man would one day come to him, asking for his blessing in marriage. However, for some reason, something kept the man from doing so.

Instead, one day, the King and Queen received news that their daughter was pregnant and the man was the father. Even in Underland, it wasn't considered proper to have children out of wedlock. But, the King owed his daughter's life to this man and so the royal couple decided to turn a blind eye to the situation. They allowed for Mirana to keep the child, but her pregnancy was kept a secret and she was kept away from the court. The man kept by her side during the entire pregnancy, hopelessly devote to Mirana.

When the child was born, they had never been happier to hold the little girl in their arms. However, it was also a bittersweet occasion, since they knew they couldn't raise the child in Underland. Troubling times were upon Underland like never before. The different kingdoms were having greater conflicts with each other and the tension was overwhelming. Time was starting to act in the most peculiar ways. It simply was not a safe world to raise such a vulnerable little child. Sadly, only a few days after the birth, Mirana had to send away the man. The King and Queen arranged for the man and their new granddaughter to be safely returned to Upland.

The man left the armor and the sword he had used to fight the Jabberwocky behind so they could protect the kingdom. With the tiny bundle of his daughter in his arms, he bid Mirana farewell before disappearing from Underland, to never return again."

The air of the balcony was eerily quiet as the Hatter concluded his story. Alice sat still in silent wonder for a long time. No one had ever expressed to her the origin of the Vorpal Sword and the long time rivalry between it and the Jabberwocky. However, she was more amazed at Mirana and the daughter she apparently had. She had never guessed Mirana to be a mother. Two questions came to Alice's mind that she had to have the answer to.

"Mirana had a daughter… which means she's the rightful heir to the throne, doesn't it?" Alice asked cautiously of the Hatter. He gave her a somber nod. Alice bit her lip in concern. Did that mean she was the wrong one on the throne? Had she taken the crown away from the real queen?

She shook her head a bit, trying to get her mind to focus. She had to get the other answer before she let her mind start jumping to conclusions. Her voice was small and quiet as she started, "Hatter… what was the man's name?"

Hatter looked at Alice with a sturdy gaze, his eyes swirling with the deepest shade of green she had ever seen. Nothing could prepare her for the two words that came from his lips.

"Charles Kingsleigh."

* * *

_Author's Note: Well? Did you see that coming? What do you think of Hatter's story? Think about it and how it fits into all the previous events, including the movie. If you don't understand it, give it a chance next chapter when Alice has an epiphany._


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: Hey everyone! Wow, I'm completely honored by the amount of reviews I got last chapter. It seems I was right and no one saw that twist coming, haha. I'm glad you guys all enjoyed it. For those who have trouble believing it, just keep reading this chapter and Alice's epiphany. I've added some of my own parts to the plot, but anything taking place in the movie is fairly accurate. So read and enjoy!_

_I have a question I would like to hear your feedback, read through Alice's epiphany and tell me, do you think I made Hatter's story and Alice's epiphany mesh into the original plot well?_

_I look forward to hearing from you guys! Let me know if you have any questions, I'll answer them all!_

_Also! There is only one to be two, maybe three chapters after this. It's a short story, so I thought just to give you guys a heads up now.  
_

_(Sorry if there's any grammar mistakes, I'm not feeling well, hence the delay, so I think I got them, but I am on meds, you know how that goes...)_

* * *

"_Charles Kingsleigh."_

Alice said nothing for a long moment as she stared at the Hatter. It was almost as if she was expecting someone to come along and tell her it was all just a joke, tell her anything to say that it wasn't true. However, she doubted there were too many Charles Kingsleighs that fall down rabbit holes. The unusually serious expression on Hatter's face told her that it was not just a story, but truthful. He had the most calm and collectively air about him that she had ever seen.

"How many know this story, Hatter?" Alice asked as her mind tried to grasp the gravity of the situation.

"Only myself, Absolem, Chessur, and Mirana, of course," The Hatter answered her question rather calmly. At that point, even the man as mad as hatter was able to sense the quiet before a storm.

Alice merely nodded numbly for the moment before asking one more question, "And when did you know?"

"That you were his daughter?" Alice gave him a short nod.

Hatter gave a small smile, "When you came to Underland the second time. The first time you were just a little girl and I had no idea. I didn't want to assume such a thing, but the second time was absolute. I had my suspicion at the tea party, but then Absolem confirmed it later. I just knew before then, you were so much like your father –"

"_Not now_, Hatter," Alice cut him off with an unusually sharp voice. Hatter leaned back a bit in surprise, but said nothing more. She looked at him slowly and said in a softer tone, "I really just need a moment alone right now."

Alice didn't miss the hurt expression that flickered through Hatter's eyes. The smile faltered at the corner of his lips for a moment. Instantly, she regretted being so sharp with him, but this was a moment she couldn't spare anyone else's feelings. Hatter shifted uncomfortably in his seat a moment before rising and beginning to walk away.

Alice's eyes followed Hatter's movements and she watched him over her shoulder. "Hatter…" She called to him softly, before he was too far away. "Is the offer still open for tea?"

"It always will be," Hatter replied before disappearing back into the castle, leaving Alice to her thoughts. Waiting for the Hatter to leave, Alice turned back to the scenic view of the waterfalls. With a deep breath, she rose from her seat, feeling her hands shaking. Her knees quivered a moment before she steadied herself. Carefully, she thought about the story that had been revealed to her. It felt as if her blood ran cold and suddenly she was hollow to the only feeling of her heart pounding painfully against her chest.

Stepping forward to the railing, she placed her hands to support herself as she squeezed her eyes shut. Alice bit her lip and couldn't control the tears starting to form at the corner of her eyes. She wasn't sure the emotion that surged through her. It wasn't tears of sorrow or joy, but simply overwhelming emotion. She took a deep breath before opening her eyes and leaning far over the railing. Alice longed for the breeze to fall against her face, reminding her that she was still grounded to this earth. When she opened her eyes though, it wasn't the waterfalls that she saw. It wasn't the scenic vantage point that her mind was processing. Her mind was flashing images of a long forgotten past…

_Alice saw the falling sensation of going down the rabbit hole. The piano pounding heavy notes as it came crashing towards her face. The books flew by, the pages fluttering in the wind. She bounced off the bed before coming to a crash in the circular room. Instead of herself drinking the Pishsalver or eating the Upelkucken, it was a young man, a little older than herself. He had dark, unruly long hair and bore a similar sailor's uniform she had the third time she came. Without a doubt, she recognized the younger version of her father…_

_Her mind, she saw Charles leaving the room and coming to the eccentric gardens of Underland, a mere three feet in his own size. The look of bewilderment was evident on his expression as those three words passed quietly on his lips, "Curiouser and curiouser"…_

_She could see the disagreements he would have Chessur and Absolem about who he was. Of course, they would have no idea who he was. There had never been someone from Upland before here in Underland. However, Absolem would insist that he fell down the rabbit hole for a reason. Charles would stand there, listening to them discuss his path, while he was nervous, one hand on his sword just in case…_

_Charles would arrive with Chessur at the White Castle, seeking a safe way back to Upland, but at the same time curious to the new world he had stumbled upon. China would never be able to compare to this vision after this trip. He would kneel before the White King, with an anxious White Queen at his side. She could see the pleading expression on Charles' face, seeking any sort of help to go back the way he came. However, the King is hasty and doesn't have time for his problems. Instead, Charles offers his sword before him, offering to put his services forward to help rescue their daughter…_

_Shortly after, Charles is fastened in new armor, most appropriate for the royal guards of the court. It glistens in the sunlight and he swears it's still warm from the blacksmith. However, it's nothing like he had ever seen and can't help but go along with it. He feels like a knight from his childhood fantasies, ready to part take in a joust with a thunderous audience. However, there would be no crowd, but him on his lone horse to face the Jabberwocky…_

_He stands on the battered chess board. There are no armies of red cards and white chess pieces on either side. Nivens McTwisp does not stand between the competitors, announcing the day. There is no Oraculum on this day to foretell the outcome. Instead, there is only the Jabberwocky, black as the night, smelling of death, and a devastating flaming power. He fights the Jabberwocky, fighting for the lone woman standing at the top of the spiral staircase ruins. The fight drags on, neither side gaining the advantage or being disadvantaged, until the Jabberwocky grows impatient and careless. Charles pins his neck and presses the sword to the back of its head. Yet, he knows in that moment, he is a man of trade, not a man of slaying. A deal is struck with Jabberwocky and Mirana is freed. He meets her at the top of the staircase. The look on Charles' face when he first sees Mirana is nothing like she had ever imagined before. It's the looking of a man really being able to see for the first time, but at the same time he's also afraid. For you see, Mirana was looking at him the same way…_

_A year later in Underland, Charles emerges from the rabbit hole, leaving behind his armor and sword. In their place, he has a bundle of life he could never have wished for anything better. They named her Alice…_

_However, everything was not at ease in the Kingsleigh manor. Charles could never have asked Mirana's hand in marriage. The secret he had kept from everyone in Underland; he was already married. While he loved his current wife, Helen, it only paled in comparison to his new found love with Mirana. His wife and his soul mate had been two different people. Helen was devastated to find his husband returning with a child. His web of lies had to spin deeper to explain where he had been the past year. He had told Helen he went on a voyage that never happened. He met a bar wench on an island that never existed and had a child that shouldn't have existed…_

_Helen was in no position to leave her husband though. They already had one young daughter, Margret, and they lived in a time that was not socially acceptable for divorce. What was she supposed to do in this position? They moved away from their manor, to a different land where no one who they were. They wouldn't know about the daughter that didn't come from Helen. Like the women of the time, she stayed quiet and tried to raise the child as her own…_

_Alice grew up a bright and imaginative child. She was nothing like her sister, Margret, and as the years passed, she showed to be more and more opposite of Helen. Yet, she was so much like her father and idolized him, his visions and stories he would tell her. Then one day, she took a tumble down a rabbit hole, so much like her father had once did so. She had been so convinced it was a dream though…_

_When she told her father, he always listened so patiently to her stories of nightmares. At the moment, it had only seemed like the patience of a father, but there was always something deeper to it. Especially when she mentioned a particular cat that could smile and the look of concentration that passed his face when she spoke of a blue caterpillar. He never told her about his dreams though…_

_The coldness was thick in the carriage was it rolled towards the Ascot's manor. Alice stared sulking out the window, wanting nothing to do with this dinner party. Helen gazed at the young woman before her eyes, the little girl that had become more lost to her every year. She tried her best to raise the child as her own, but she didn't know whom she came from. Alice was completely unruly in her eyes, never cooperating with the proper dress code and her head always in the clouds. As much as she tried to love this girl, she could never love her adopted daughter as much as her real daughter, Margret…_

_Alice never felt more out of place in society than dancing at the party and more importantly when Hamish asked for her hand in marriage. Seeing Nivens out of the corner of her eye, pointing to the time, she knew it was the moment. She needed a moment to go where she truly belonged…_

"_Curiouser and curiouser" She muttered to herself as she emerged from the circular room, much like her father had at the time. The welcome recession had been less than convinced of her identity. The Oraculum foretold the arrival of Alice and naturally the entire Underland knew about it. However, even the Oraculum helped keep the best kept secret of Underland. No one knew just who Alice Kingsleigh was, but merely that she was to slay the Jabberwocky…_

_Absolem knew absolutely who the young woman was, but he always spoke in riddles and she had no idea who she was. Hatter had the most peculiar tea party with a stout old man before Alice's arrival into Underland. He claimed himself to be History and told many marvelous stories as he seemed to get drunk on tea, he stuttered and repeated himself a lot as well. One of the stories that caught his attention specifically was of the great Charles Kingsleigh. He went on in such length and detail that the Hatter knew it must be true and would never forget such a tale, even if it would take someone as mad as a hatter to believe it!_

_Chessur had been suspicious upon his encounter with the lost Alice in the woods, reminding himself so much of a similar situation. She had the curiosity and stubbornness of a man that he had met before. Alas, he never liked to get involved with politics though and just helped the girl along her way, smiling to himself in a knowing way…_

_The Hatter walked across the tea party table, sending dishes flying and knocking over cups. Mally cried in protest while the March Hare sputtered and twitched nervously. He agitatedly tried to setup the dishes and plates in their proper place while Hatter stepped down from the other side of the table. He kneeled before the small Alice, his mind far away, thinking of a peculiar story he had from History. "I'd know him anywhere!" Hatter explained, disregarding the Freudian slip. Hare and Mally laughed manically, completely oblivious that there had ever been a Charles Kingsleigh…_

_As the Hatter and Alice walk through the devastated woods, she listens to his story with a new understanding. It wasn't a pleasant tale for the ears, but she listens to it anyways. It was the day the Jabberwocky attacked the White Queen and her court; she barely escaped with her life. The White Knight at the time, who bore the Vorpal Sword, tried to fend off the beast, but he was no match. Now she understood it wasn't because he wasn't strong enough, but he was an Underland wielding a weapon of Upland. There had only been one bearer before that could fight the Jabberwocky and he was from Upland, Charles Kingsleigh…_

_The expression of the White Queen's face upon the return of the Vorpal Sword was something that could not be missed. The Vorpal Sword was a guarantee they had the chance of having a champion to battle the Jabberwocky. It was properly returned to the armor that had been crafted for the occasion. However, for the White Queen, it wasn't just the promise of a champion, but it was one of the last few items of her late lover she had left. They were the few things she could hold onto and help hold onto his memory…_

_The White Queen worked at ease in the kitchen as she worked to make a potion, returning her daughter to her proper size. She was in so many ways alike her father and mother, but she could never tell her at that point. She had the curiosity and stubbornness of her father, insisting that she could never slay a thing. At the same time, she had the imagination of a dreamer, so much like her mother. However, she could never tell her the truth because Alice needed to find herself first…_

"_I'm Alice Kingsleigh," She said confidently to Absolem as he slowly disappeared into his cocoon. While his words confirmed that she was finally Alice, his expression remained grim. It wasn't because the young woman didn't have muchness, because she had plenty of that. It was for the secret that was still being kept from her and how she believed her mother was Helen Kingsleigh, oh if only she knew…_

_Alice stood before the Jabberwocky as the White Queen's champion. At the time, she thought because she had her muchness and she was the only one with a mess of curly hair in the Oraculum's picture. However, it was because she was standing there alone and couldn't slay a thing, like her father. Unknowingly, she faces the Jabberwocky with her father's armor and sword, but more importantly his blood running through her veins. He was the only man at that time that had ever conquered the Jabberwocky._

"_So my old foe, we meet on the battlefield once again…" The Jabberwocky had thought he had his enemy figured out. However, he seriously underestimated the champion before him. The monster thought it was the sword in their hands and the armor on their body that held the strength of a man. However, this champion and the one before Alice had something that the Jabberwocky never had; a heart. Furthermore, the Jabberwocky didn't know a bit of this heart had come from the one that already conquered the beast, except this one could slay a thing and so it did…_

"_You would make the most beautiful Blue Queen," Mirana spoke to Alice, not as a queen speaking to her champion, but a mother speaking to a daughter…_

Upon this moment, Alice realized everything had been leading up to this point. It all begun with a little plan and a whisper in the ear by a man by the name of History. For she figured, he had quite the habit of repeating himself. It was then she realized that everyone around her had been a pawn in this plan as it slowly revealed itself over a lifetime. She had been the champion not because she had the muchness, but it was in her blood and who she was meant to be.

Her father was the champion of Underland and her mother was the White Queen. Now Alice stood on the balcony once more, seeing the waterfalls glisten in a different light. Their blue colors faded into the white mist as they crashed with great force. The tears that had been at the corner of her eyes dried and she found herself standing with a different strength than before.

A flutter out of the corner of her eyes caught her attention and she turned her head to see a vibrant blue butterfly. "Hello Absolem," She said quietly while the creature took a great puff of his… well, she had yet to figure that out. Before he could sleepily question who she was, she cut him off with a distant voice, "I think I just had an epiphany…"

"How so?" He asked in a bored tone.

"It was like I could see the past, long before I was even there. I could see the present as well and everything fell into place, like a puzzle being put together. Everything was connected, but not exactly. In a way, I could see the future, like if I could sense what was coming next," Alice described slowly with her brows furrowed as the strange sensations of the epiphany slowly left her body.

"So do you know what you're going to do next, then?" Absolem then questioned the Blue Queen, seeming more interested in the conversation than any of their previous ones.

Alice was silent for a moment before most ironic smile passed her lips. "No, I haven't the slight idea," She said, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Stupid girl," Absolem chided her immediately.

She gave a humorless laugh before looking at him full, "If I'm the stupid girl than you're the nasty butterfly." With that, Alice turned away from the balcony and began to walk away. As she left, she could hear the haunting laugh of Absolem behind her.

Alice did not go far into the castle, she found herself wandering anyway since she was so lost in her thoughts for once. However, shortly after her conversation with Absolem on the balcony, she ran into the White Rabbit, who came to a skidding halt in front of her. He was twitching nervously, his nose quivering and pink little eyes darting about anxiously.

"What is it, McTwisp?" Alice asked, leaning over with her hands on her knees to gaze at the little rabbit.

"Oh, your Majesty! You must come at once, Lady Mirana collapsed!" He barely gasped the words out before turning and taking off, intending to lead Alice to Mirana. Barely given time to react, Alice picked up a bit of her dress so she could follow after the White Rabbit quickly with her shoes clicking against the stone floors.

The White Rabbit led the Blue Queen through a series of corridors before they arrived in one of the private quarters. It was a rather simplistic room since everything had been cleared out except for one bed and a small nightstand. Arriving in the room, Alice found that Chessur was there as well and he hovered over Mirana. She had lying on top of the bed with her hands clasped over her stomach; she looked like she was simply in a deep slumber.

Slowly, Alice and the White Rabbit approached the bed side. Chessur looked up from his examination upon Alice's entrance, backing away from the former queen a bit. Alice gave him a questioning glance upon noticing her sleeping state. "She's slipped into a coma. It happens to everyone before they pass," Chessur purred unusually somber.

Alice nodded numbly before dropping to her knees next to the bed, "Is she in pain?"

"No, it's quite a peaceful state," Chessur said reassuringly, reappearing just over Alice's shoulder. His large eyes flickered with compassion as she watched Alice carefully smoothly out some of Mirana's hair on her forehead.

"I would like a moment alone with her, please," Alice said after a long moment of silence, more directly at the White Rabbit. She knew that the Cheshire Cat wouldn't actually leave the room and didn't matter if he overheard since he already knew. She waited for the sound of the door clicking behind the White Rabbit before she carefully picked up one of Mirana's hands in her own. It felt slightly cold to the touch, but there was still life to her. Alice sensed Chessur still floating anxiously about the room.

"Why is it you're leaving me just when I find out who you really are?" Alice question with a heavy tone as the tears started to sting the corner of her eyes again. She gazed at Mirana's calmed and relaxed expression, willing her to say anything or even give her a kind smile. In that moment, she reminded Alice of a story she heard as a child of a beautiful sleeping woman. She could only be awoken by the kiss of her true love. However, her true love had already passed away and there would be no one to grant Mirana that kiss…

"Should I be angry with you? You had been absent all my life and the greatest secret was kept from me. Wouldn't most people be resentful and spiteful if such a thing happened to them?" Alice continued to speak aloud in the empty room. With an ironic smile, she continued on, "Honestly though, I'm not mad. I just can't bring myself to be… It must have been the hardest thing you ever had to do. Charles was a great man; he's a lot to lose. I know why you had to do it too. I know you did it for me and for him…"

Alice gave a great shaky deep breath. "I'm going to miss the time we could have spent together… but I want you to know, I had been in raised by a wonderful woman. She was there for me every step of the way, trying to be the best mother for me. I hope one day you meet, Helen, you would have liked her, I think… I'm going to miss the time I didn't get to spend with you, but I don't think I'm going to mourn it."

"No, you deserve only the best of celebrations," Alice said with a sad smile. "Soon you'll get to see father too, I know he's missed you… you can tell him how well his daughter has done and she still has her head in the clouds, like you."

Alice rose to feet so she could lean over Mirana and places a soft kiss on her forehead. "Rest easy, mother," She whispered before standing up. It was then she was vaguely aware of the cold and sticky tears against her cheeks. Turning away, Alice retreated from the room, unable to handle anymore of the moment for that day.

White Rabbit had been waiting outside the door when Alice emerged from the room. She barely paid him any attention as she headed for her quarters, the rabbit disappearing back into Mirana's room. The Blue Queen was left to her own for a while as she walked the halls of the castle, listening to only her footsteps. Not too far from her room, she got the feeling she was being watched. A tickling sensation began at the back of her neck and then reached around to her cheeks.

Stopping in her tracks for a moment, she then whirled upon hearing a voice behind her. "I've never seen a more beautiful queen," the deep voice purred heavily.

"Hello Chessur," Alice said calmly as the cat materialized before her, upside down, almost like a dog begging for a belly rub.

"At the same time, I've never seen a sadder queen either," He smiled with ironic formed the deepest frown she had ever seen. Alice knew he meant well by the statement, but didn't have any rebuttal for him. She adverted her eyes from the evaporating feline.

"Surely, there is something that can turn that frown upside down," As Chessur said this; he rolled onto his stomach and flashed his characteristic smile to Alice. She lifted her head to look at him, her lips pressed tightly into a thoughtful expression. "Or should I say someone?" He purred, leaning closer to Alice.

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she thought of a certain man mad as a hatter. "Well, there is someone, who hosts the best tea parties and ponders things that begin with the letter 'M'," Alice said as the plan started to form in her mind. Chessur's smile flickered into a knowing as he watched some of the life returned to Alice's eyes.

"If I leave now, do you think I will be late?" She asked, thinking she would at least need to get ready before dashing out the castle to Witzend.

"Quite so," Chessur answered.

"Wonderful, that's the best time…" Alice turned, starting to head towards her room with a new brisk pace. As she did, she called over her shoulder to Chessur, "Make sure a ride is ready to leave immediately!"

About an hour later, Alice emerged to the throne room with the help of her chamber maid for the occasion. The light dress she had one had been changed to a more elaborate one. It was a deep midnight blue, with a light blue skirt underneath. It fell away from the body like a princess ball gown around her waist. However, the top was a long sleeve that hung completely off her shoulders. It buttoned up to a slight v-neck. The sleeves flared out at the wrist and were cuffed with a lighter material. Several pockets and embroidery details were added, giving the illusion similar to a captain's uniform in the dress. Her hair had been tamed into large barrel curls, letting it fall upon her shoulders with a few clips to get it out of her eyes.

A few members of the court were gathered in the room. The White Rabbit sat anxiously by four the white chess guards standing at attention. More importantly, there was a vibrant zebra in the room, much larger than the average horse. Instead having heavy black stripes, his fur was a distinct azure color along with his mane and the pupils of his eyes. He stepped forward, his polished hooves clacking against the stone before offering a bow of his head to the queen.

"We'll be your escort, your Majesty" He announced in a deep rasping voice. Alice's eyes lit up excitedly at the zebra, stepping forth and placing a gently hand against his muzzle. She had never imagined riding a zebra or even seen one in person before.

"Thank you," She said kindly to him as he dropped onto his knees, lowering his body to allow for the Blue Queen to mount him bareback. Once she was steady on his back, he rose to his full height and she placed her hands firmly on his neck for balance. Then Alice gave the zebra a nudge with her feet. He turned and took off out of the throne room with the four knights following dutifully after them.

They rushed passed the courtyard with the cherry blossoms, emitting their scent happily at the passing queen. She felt the wind whipping through her hair and the refreshing coolness, a small smile that never reached her eyes on her lips. As they pulled further away from the castle, the zebra gained more and more speed, traveling faster than any horse she knew possibly could. The knight escorts fell far behind, but she wasn't bothered since they would eventually catch up.

Meanwhile, the tea party had just commenced, even if no one was quite sure if it was six o'clock. The record player droned on in a heavy tone that no one ever really paid much attention to. Scones and pastries were scattered about the table and one pot of tea had already been knocked over. There were numerous broken teacups on the ground, but who knows when those were from.

"He, he…" The March Hare sputtered, playing with one of the teapots. He gave it a rough shake in the area. Some of the tea sloshed out of the spout and a loud clanking noise was heard from inside. He pulled off the top and pulled the chain dangling from the edge. The pocket watch emerged, dripping of Earl Grey and completely silent. "Heh, it's not ticking!" He exclaimed in a distraught tone.

Mallyumkin giggled manically from across the table on her teacup perch at the March Hare. His deranged gaze fell upon her for a moment before picking up his spork and hurling it in her direction. "Tick this!" He yelled as the fork collided with the record player, knocking it clear off the stand before it gave one last dreary note.

The Mad Hatter looked up from his cup with swirling green eyes. He put on a chirp smile and raised his hands to conduct an orchestra that wasn't there. "All together now!" He exclaimed and the three favorite lunatics began to chant:

Ring around the Mally!

A pocket full of eyeballs!

The Hare and the Hatter dropped into rougher voices, the Scottish accent more prominent. _"Stab! Stab!"_

"We've all lost ours!" They finished before the Hare fell off his chair with uncontrollable laughter. Mallyumkin twirled around with her sword in her hands, imitating herself poking out the Bandersnatch's eye with drunken giggles.

The Hatter spotted movement from the woods and he sat more upright in his seat. With a hopeful gaze, he watched as a blue zebra emerged from the woods, bearing the Blue Queen. For a moment he thought it was vision coming to him out of a dream as he watched the blue goddess dismount from the zebra, her curls bouncing with her movements as she slowly reached the table. He got up from his seat and met her half way with his gap toothy smile. One thing he noticed in particular in that moment, as Alice stared at him, she gave a small smile that actually met her eyes.

"Alice! It's you, you came!" He marveled softly.

"Ye' late for tea!" A harsh voice yelled behind him and both of them ducked as the teacup whirled by, crashing on the face of one of the guards.

"It's you and in the right size, well not saying there's a wrong size, for you could never have a wrong size, but this is a very good size, it's a nice size for Alice, the best size for you…" The Hatter rambled on and was stopped by two hands caressing his face and he was immediately was lost in the icy blue eyes that stared at him.

"Hatter," Alice said softly oblivious to the grin on her own face.

"Thank you," He squeaked out softly, taking a deep breath to calm himself and focus his mind for a moment. However, focusing his mind never worked and he certainly wasn't about to start censoring his thoughts passing his lips right now. He reached up to place his hands over hers, which were the right size for once. They were soft against his bandaged and bruised hands.

"You are the most beautiful queen, Alice," He whispered gently to her, as he did he took one hand in his fingers so he could kiss the back of her hand. His eyes swirled into a lighter green with gold flecks as he watched the scarlet blush rise on Alice's cheeks.

"I believe you promised some tea," Alice said, her eyes looking away from Hatter, apparently embarrassed by the forward expression of affection. However, it didn't go amiss to Hatter she seemed flattered by the action, the blush was still on her cheeks, and the smile was reaching her eyes.


End file.
